More Than A Demigod (MTWYMT PART I)
by Writing Desk's Raven
Summary: More Than What You May Think Series, Part I: Nikita isn't your average girl. She's only half mortal. On top of that, she's mute and she's got a mother who hates her. What's a girl to do when she finds out she's more than just that child she always seems to be treated like, more than the newfound thing her blood makes her?... (Full Summary Inside) (Parts II-V are longer.) [COMPLETE]
1. Summary

**More Than What You May Think**

 **Part I: More Than A Demigod**

Nikita isn't your average girl. She's only half mortal. On top of that, she's mute and she's got a mother who hates her. What's a girl to do when she finds out she's more than just that child she always seems to be treated like, more than the newfound thing her blood makes her? What's a girl to do when she's the center of a prophecy, and has to stop an ancient evil from rising?

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 _Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

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 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**

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**Updating Schedule**

Updates will likely come around twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays, and I'll try to make sure I'm staying on schedule.


	2. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

* * *

I hadn't slept at all that night, as I usually didn't sleep most nights. Rest helped, but sometimes I just had to force myself to sleep just so I would be a functioning human being again in the morning. Not being able to function did not make for a good day for me.

Due to the fact that I hadn't slept, I heard my mother when she started to pack her things into the car sometime early in the morning. I didn't think anything of it, we were supposed to leave the next morning. We were on vacation to a cabin on the beach at Montauk. We rarely went on vacations, so it was a nice surprise.

I listened as she loaded the car. The bedroom I had been using for the past two weeks was near the front of the cabin, so I could hear her relatively easily. After the trunk slammed, I heard her open the car door. I stood from my bed and made my way outside, as she slid into the car. She glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

Are you going for breakfast? I signed to her. Today was our last day, so we were running low on anything that wasn't snacks. And we had planned for an early start to heading back into the city.

I shifted from foot to foot. It was cold outside, considering it was December (though the first part of the vacation and been November), there was snow on the ground, and I was in a nightgown. For pajamas, all I owned were a bunch of the same nightgown: white, thin, and short enough that they barely covered me. My mother had bought them for me.

Mother? I signed a little slower, thinking she hadn't seen my hands. The car engine started. I tried again. Mother, are you going for breakfast?

The car started to move away. I signed again. She drove away without a single glance back at her one and only daughter. I stood there, signing for one hour. Two hours. Signing to no one at all. I didn't care. I just wanted my mother to come back. She'd threatened to leave me before, and now she finally did.

I went back in the cabin, after realizing I was going to get frostbite on the bottoms of my feet if I hadn't already managed to get it. The cabin had no fireplace, as it was usually used in the summer. I made my way to the bedroom I was using, and covered myself in as many blankets as I could. It didn't help. I was still shivering.

The reason my mother decided on having us vacation in December at a summer cabin was beyond me. But I liked it, if not for a change of scenery. I never went anywhere. I always stayed in our house. I didn't go to school, I learned from textbooks and books that my mother bought for me. She had at one point tried to homeschool me, but gave up on it quite easily. I taught myself how to read and then taught myself from the books. Every now and then, she'd pick up another textbook. Being fifteen, I was at a college age school level. That kind of happens when you have as much free time to spend at home as I do.

I always spent everyday at home, except for vacations that my mother took us on. And because I was always home, all of my clothes were things she chose. So my entire wardrobe consisted of skinny jeans and solid color tank tops under solid color t-shirts. My undergarments were all white cotton. And my pajamas were all the identical nightgowns. I had a plain gray hoodie for when it was cold in the house. As for shoes, I owned a pair steel toed combat boots, likely my favorite part of my wardrobe.

* * *

I managed to fall asleep laying there. When I woke and checked the time, it was five a.m. There was nothing else for me to do but leave. So I changed into a pair of skinny jeans, a tank top, and my hoodie. I put my clothes into my suitcase, but I hadn't brought many outfits, having instead decided I was going to wear them a couple times each. I went to the bathroom to gather my toiletries, but brushed my hair first. Then I took a good look at myself in the mirror.

My eyes were dark, little gold flecks throughout them. The sky looked the same outside. My eyes always matched the sky, and I knew my eyes would lighten as the sky brightened. My hair had always been pure white, like the color of the snow. I'd dyed it before, after my mother had me learn so I could dye hers, but it wasn't currently dyed. My hair reached my shoulder blades. I threw it in a quick messy bun. Then I pulled up the sleeve of my hoodie to look at my wrist. The small tattoo there was of the time, 5:12. My tattoo always changed to show what time it was.

I exited the bathroom and took all the snacks from the cabinets, placing them into my suitcase. I put the rest of the bottled water we had into my suitcase, too. Then I found the heaviest blanket I could, and rolled it up, placing it inside the suitcase. The last thing that went into the large suitcase was my large book on Greek mythology. It held information on the major gods, many of the minor gods, and held many of the Greek myths and legends. My mother and I both knew they weren't myths and legends, they were real. That's why she had bought it for me, seeing as my dad was a Greek god. The book easily became my favorite.

After I has filled my suitcase, I strapped one of the pillows onto the top. Then I walked out the door, and just like my mother had done, I didn't look back.

* * *

A car stopped beside me as I walked. I hadn't gone very far, having had little energy from little sleep, and the ground being covered in snow as I tried to drag a large suitcase. The driver rolled down their window. A kind looking woman sat inside, but that didn't stop me being terrified.

"Where are you headed, dear? Do you need a ride?" The woman asked. I didn't answer.

"Sally, I think she's the one I smell." Another voice from inside the vehicle said. Smell? I really hoped that voice happened to belong to one of the good creatures of Greek mythology, and not a monster. Because if it were a monster, I was defenseless. Being with my mother had been enough to cover my scent, she always kept candles and incense alight in the house. But I should have thought about grabbing like a kitchen knife or something, now that I had nothing to cover my scent.

The woman looked about to say something else when a man appeared beside me. I got this feeling in my chest, and knew that it was my father. "I'm so, so proud of you. You've fought through things you should never have had to have been through. There's nothing holding you back now. Be yourself, be strong, be confident. No one owns you, don't ever let anyone act that way again. You are a survivor, you can make it through anything. Go with this woman. She will bring you to a place that is safe for your kind. A place where you will have a home. I love you." He kissed my hair, then handed me a ring. Then he was gone.

I turned to the woman. I didn't say anything, mainly because I couldn't, but she got out and put my suitcase in the trunk. Then she directed me to sit in the front seat. There were two boys in the back, one with messy black hair, he other with curly brown hair and... Horns? He must've been a satyr.

I inspected the ring for a few moments before slipping it into the fourth finger of my left hand. It was a simple silver band, with an engraved sun partially hidden behind a moon, and stars dotting the immediate area around them. On the inside of the band, the words 'No one owns you. You are a survivor, you can make it through anything' were engraved.

"It's nice to meet you. My name's Sally, that's my son Percy, and that's his friend, Grover." The woman said. I didn't answer.

"Where we're headed is Camp Half Blood. It's a place where demigods can train, and where demigods can live safely, away from the monsters. The cabins go by godly parent. That was yours, right? Do you know who he is?" Percy asked.

I gestured to my throat. These people were being nice, she didn't want them to think she was ignoring them. "You can't speak?" Grover asked. "Is it permanent?... Are you mute?" He asked the last part hesitantly, obviously not wanting to offend me. I nodded my head yes.

I didn't really want to try to answer anything else, so I closed my eyes and rested my head against the window. Sally softly asked them to be quiet, I was trying to rest, and then I fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.

* * *

"Wake up!" I woke to Percy shaking me. He was standing in the open doorway of the car. Sally looked at me worriedly. I flinched away from his touch. "You were having a nightmare, and you were thrashing around and crying. But... You were silent, you didn't make a single noise. We were worried." I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my hoodie. Even if I could speak, I didn't particularly want to share exactly why I had learned to be completely silent in everything I did, including sleep.

"Also, we're here." Grover said from behind Percy. He had my suitcase out of the trunk. I unbuckled and stepped out of the car. I turned back to Sally and gave her a grateful smile. She smiled back, and the she left. I took my suitcase from Grover, and followed them through the trees.

* * *

When I saw the camp, I almost gasped. It was beautiful. And it wasn't snowing or cold inside.

They brought me first to a house. When we arrived to the porch, there was a man sitting in a wheelchair, a blanket over his lap. "You've found a demigod? On a beach during winter?" He asked them.

"Kind of. She looked like she was headed from that way. Grover smelled her the entire time we were out at the beach, but we hadn't seen her until we found her dragging her suitcase through the snow on the side of the road. She didn't trust us at first, I don't blame her, but a god appeared to her. He spoke to her, told her to go with us. So we brought her here." Percy said.

"Alright, then. Bring her to the infirmary first, she might have gotten hypothermia or pneumonia, then give her a tour. You should be able to finish by the time breakfast starts." He said.

"Alright, Chiron." Percy turned to Grover. "Mind bringing her suitcase to the Hermes cabin?" He asked.

"No problem. I'll be with Juniper afterwards." Grover said. Percy grinned, and Grover only looked annoyed at Percy's reaction.

"C'mon. The infirmary is down the hall." Percy said. I followed him inside and down a hall. We entered a room with a row of beds, a desk, and a cabinet that was most likely full of medical supplies.

"Hey, Percy." A voice said when we entered. The voice belonged to a black haired boy with brown eyes. Beside him was a blonde haired boy.

"We've got a new camper. She's mute. Also, we found her walking down the side of the road, dragging a suitcase." Percy said.

The blonde boy stepped forward. "Why don't you sit on one of the beds? I'll get you some paper and a pen." He said. I sat, and he brought over a rolling stool. He handed me a pad of paper and a pen.

"What happened?" He asked.

I wrote a sentence. They found me dragging my suitcase through the snow, the paper read.

"Why?" He asked softly. A tear fell down my cheek.

She threatened to leave me before. This time, she actually did it, I wrote. I handed him the pad, and brought my knees up to my chest, placing my head on my knees.

"Was it your mother?" He asked softly. I nodded.

"Alright, well, I'm going to give you some nectar. It should heal the beginnings of a cold you send to be getting. It's going to taste like your favorite flavor." He told me. He went over to the cabinet and poured a small cup of a golden liquid. He brought it back over to me. I took it tentatively, but didn't drink it. "It's alright. It's only going to heal you. It's the drink of the gods. We take it in small amounts to heal ourselves." I drank the liquid.

It, surprisingly, tasted cool, clear, and sharp. Like the fresh air on top of a mountain in the middle of January. I don't know how I knew that's what it tasted like. After a few minutes, I felt a lot better. Thank you, I wrote on the notepad.

"You're welcome. I'm Will Solace, that's Nico Di Angelo, and you know Percy Jackson." The blonde boy said.

I'm Nikita Caliya Beckett, I wrote.

"Alright, Nikita. Why don't you tell us why you were walking down that road?" He asked.

She left me. She'd threatened to do it before, but I always begged her not to. Today was the last day of our vacation. I heard her putting her things in the trunk, I almost never sleep at night, but then the car started. I went outside in only my nightgown. I asked if she was getting breakfast, as we were leaving really early, but she didn't answer. I signed again, no answer. Then she drove away without a second glance. I signed and signed and signed to no one at all. I only went inside after I started to freeze. And it takes a very long time for me to freeze. I can shield myself from any weather, but it's only gonna work so long when I've had so little sleep and I'm not even concentrating on it. I didn't even realize I had lost it until I almost collapsed from the cold. I went inside and went to sleep amongst a bunch of blankets. Woke at five. Got dressed, packed up my clothes, my book, a blanket, what food and water bottles I could find. Then I left the cabin she has rented and started down the road. They pulled up to me in the car, but I was terrified. I heard Grover say he smelled me, and I was just hoping that they weren't monsters. I hadn't even thought to grab anything to protect myself with. My scent had always been covered by my mother's candles and incense she kept alight in our home. But then my dad appeared to me. He told me some things, and then he told me to go with them. So I did.

I handed Will the notepad, and he read what I wrote.

"Do you know who your father is? Have you ever gotten a name?" Will asked me.

No. And I've only ever met him the once, but I just knew it was him. The only clues I have to as who he could be are my eyes, my tattoo, and the weather resistance, I wrote.

"What do your eyes and tattoo do?" Will asked after reading.

My eyes reflect the color of the sky. And my tattoo tells me the time, I wrote. I pulled up the sleeve of my hoodie to show him my left wrist. He looked at it with a curious expression.

"This must be really useful." Will mused. He looked up at me. "But I can't say I have any idea on who your father is."

I pulled down my sleeve. It was warm inside the camp, but I wasn't planning on taking off my hoodie. No way I was letting anyone see the bruises until they were gone. At least the scars were easily covered.

"I guess now's probably a good time to give you the tour." Percy said. I stood and followed him from the house.

* * *

Just as he finished the tour, ending at the Hermes cabin where unclaimed campers stayed, a horn resounded through the camp. When I looked questioningly at Percy, he explained. "Breakfast. You'll likely be claimed tonight, at campfire or at the game. We've got Capture the Flag tonight."

When the campers of the Hermes cabin came outside, I went with them to the mess hall. I checked my tattoo. It was seven thirty.

At breakfast, we sacrificed part of our meals to the gods, and I prayed that my father would claim me. When we sat, I was on the end of one side of the table. There were two boys who looked either like brothers or twins across from me. There was a girl seated next to me.

"So you're new?" One of them asked. "What's your name? I'm Travis, this is my brother Connor. Next to you is Leah." The one directly across from me said.

Nikita, I spelled out in sign language. Travis and Connor looked confused, and Leah's eyes widened.

"You can't speak?" She asked.

I'm mute, I signed. She nodded.

"Travis, Connor, she can't speak. Her name is Nikita." Leah said.

"Cool name." Connor said. "Don't think I've ever met a Nikita."

I've never met a Connor, I signed. Leah relayed the message to them.

"Really? It's a much more common name." He replied.

Or a Travis. Or a Leah, or a Nico, or a Percy, or a Will, or a Grover. I've never met much of anyone before, at least anyone who I had reason to learn the name of. I continued, Leah repeating what I signed to them again.

I didn't sign much for the rest of breakfast, instead opting to listen to the conversation of the Hermes table.

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 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**


	3. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

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After breakfast, I followed Travis and Connor to the Hermes cabin, so they could show me to the bunk I would be using. My suitcase was already sitting on it. They left the cabin, after giving me a enough sets of clothes for a week from a few of their sisters. Sweatpants and camp T-shirt, plus a couple pairs of shorts. Then I went into the bathroom to change.

As I changed, I noticed that the bruises had faded away. The nectar that Will had given me had done much more than I thought it would have.

Once I had changed into sweatpants, a new tank top of my own, and a camp t-shirts; and put everything away in my suitcase; I settled onto the bunk with my book. I opened to a random page and started to read. Aether. Primordial god of the atmosphere, the 'upper air' that the gods breathed, that was above the air of the mortals.

* * *

Travis and Connor came to get me for lunch, but I wasn't hungry. I had been snacking on the bag of chips from my suitcase. I stayed and continued to read in the cabin while they went on to lunch.

I had read a good amount of my book by the time dinner came around. I placed my book in my suitcase and went with Travis and Connor when they came to get me.

After dinner was the campfire. The demigods sang songs and ate s'mores, I was told. But instead of attending the campfire, Connor and Travis took me to the armory so I had a chance to get a weapon for the game.

"Just look over the weapons, try picking them up. Find something with a good balance. You can take lessons on how to fight with whatever weapon you choose, but a lot of it will also be the ADHD. We're wired for battle, and those instincts will help you greatly." Travis told me. I nodded, and lightly ran my hand along the weapons on the table. I stopped at two swords, and picked them up.

The balance was perfect. Not too light, not too heavy. These ones, I signed. He must've gotten the gist of what I meant, because Connor handed me a weapons belt and two sheathes for the swords. I found a dagger and put it in one of my boots.

"You're going to want some armor, too." Travis told me. He pointed to a few racks and piles of armor I hadn't noticed before. I went over to them.

Most of the armor was Greek style, with solid breastplates and pieces. I tried a piece on. It fit. I found a couple other pieces to match.

"You good to go?" Connor asked. I nodded.

"Alright, well, you'll be on our team. Our team is us, the Athena cabin, Hephaestus, Poseidon, Hades, and Apollo. The other's Ares, Zeus, Aphrodite, Hypnos, Dionysus, Demeter, and Hecate. We'll see where Annabeth wants to put you." Travis said.

They brought me into the forest, to where the Athena cabin had set up a little command center. "Travis, Connor, you two lead the rest of your cabin. Do what you do best." A blonde girl told them. They grinned at each other and ran off, leading the rest of their siblings. I just kind of stood there, not knowing what to do.

"Your name is Nikita, right?" The blonde girl asked me. I nodded.

"I'm Annabeth. Percy tells me you can shield yourself from the weather?" The blonde girl asked.

Yeah, it doesn't take almost may concentration, when I'm not going hysterical, I signed. She gave me a sad smile. I'm pretty sure she knows ASL.

"Alright. I want you guarding the flag. They're most likely to send Jason in for the flag. And I know my friends well enough to know what they'll do. He's going to try and use his powers as a son of Zeus to get past you. Shield yourself, and he'll be forced to fight. I'll have a few guards nearby, hidden, to help the fight. I don't want to overwhelm you. And I'm also guessing he's going to bring in Piper, and she'll try charmspeak." Annabeth told me.

Alright, I can do that, I signed.

"Great." She said with a smile. She led me away to the flag. She pointed out where the guards were hidden, and then left to finish planning with her siblings. I stepped up by the flags and drew my swords.

* * *

The game started at the sound of the horn that had also signified mealtimes. Almost as soon as it sounded, the sound of weapons clashing could be heard throughout the forest. And it didn't take very long for the offense sent to get the flag came in.

The boy who had to have been Jason, because he was flying, held a girl in her arms. I guessed she must have been Piper. They landed in the clearing in front of me. I kept my swords up.

"Now why would she put a camper who hasn't even been here for a day on flag duty?" Jason asked.

Piper looked into my eyes, and I stared right back at her. "Drop your weapons and step aside for us." I could feel the waves of charmspeak roll over me. But I was not going to do what she wanted. I wasn't going to let anyone else tell me what to do ever again.

"Drop your weapons and step aside." She tried again.

I didn't move, instead keeping my swords drawn. I would sign to her, but I couldn't do that with my hands full.

She tried one more time. "Drop your weapons and step aside!" I put my swords in their sheathes, and she let out a weary sigh. But I withdrew them again after signing to her. No one owns me.

Realizing it wasn't working, Piper drew her sword. Jason didn't draw his though. He put out a hand, and sent wind rushing towards me. I set my feet and stood my ground. The wind didn't affect me.

Jason tried to strengthen the wind blowing against me, but it did nothing. It didn't matter how strong the weather was, it was weather, and it wouldn't affect me.

Realizing those tactics weren't going to work on me, Jason flipped a coin and caught a sword. Before either of them could do anything, they were occupied by the four guards Annabeth had posted around me. Piper couldn't charmspeak me while fighting two people at once, and I wasn't allowing any weather to interfere in the clearing.

On instinct, I whirled around. A boy had snuck up to flag, through the trees that had been at my back. He had messy black hair and deep blue eyes. He grinned at me. He had a hand on the flag, but immediately withdrew it and drew a sword.

I didn't try to attack first. I merely watched him, keeping a small part of my focus on keeping Jason from knocking us all over with his wind.

The boy attacked first, but I brought up a sword and blocked the attack. I went to attack with my other sword but he was quick to knock it from my hand. He went to attack now that I had only one sword in hand, and I blocked. But the attack knocked the sword from my hand. He grinned at me, thinking he had me beat. I grabbed the dagger from my boot and threw it at him. He just barely deflected it before it could glance off of his face. Now that I was defenseless, I took a step back. I briefly felt a slight breeze, but I stopped it before it could do much.

The boy placed a hand on the flag and picked it up. He walked past Jason and Piper, who were still battling the four guards. I couldn't just let the boy get away with the flag. I rushed to collect my weapons, shoving the dagger in my boot and the swords in my belt. Then I started to chase the boy. He was within sight of the boundary when I caught up to him and tackled him to the ground. I wrestled the flag from him, and threw it back away from the boundary. A camper on my team came out of the trees and took it, running it back to the clearing.

The boy had managed to knock me off of him while I threw the flag, and was now sitting on top of me, holding my wrists to keep me from punching him again. He smirked at me. That smirk brought memories rushing through my mind, memories I never wanted to revisit again. I froze, terrified. He must've seen the fear in my eyes, because he rolled off of me and stood. He held out a hand to help me up, and I took it. The horn signifying the end of the game sounded just as I used him to pull myself up.

"Are you ok?" The boy asked me.

I nodded quickly, and turned away from him.

"Are you sure?" He asked again.

I'm fine, I signed, more a plea than anything else.

* * *

The game had actually taken a lot longer than I would've thought. It was time for lights out by the time I got back to the Hermes cabin.

When I did get back, I placed my armor in my suitcase and my weapons belt on a hook on the bunk post. After everyone else was done with the bathroom, I went in to change, locking the door behind me.

After taking off my shirt, sweatpants, and tank top, I studied my scars in the mirror. The scars on my back varied in size; some long and thin, some short and deep, and even some short and thin ones, and some long and deep ones. I shuddered at the memories of getting them. Every single one had taken a long time to heal over and finally recede to slightly raised lines on my back.

After studying my scars, I slipped my tank top back on, then one of my nightgowns. I felt really awkward as I stepped out of the bathroom, the nightgown barely covering my bottom.

I went to my bunk, put the clothes I had changed from into my suitcase, and then layed on my bunk. Even as everyone else went to sleep, I did not sleep. I had managed to sleep early that morning, so I knew I definitely wasn't going to sleep. I usually lasted a week or more on only a few hours of sleep.

Sometime in the middle of the night, after the cabin was asleep, I slipped outside. I made my way along the creek as it ran through the forest. Percy had given me a hand drawn map after the tour, and the creek let out at the ocean. The only weapon I had with me walking through the forest was the dagger in my boot.

When I made it to the beach, I took off my boots and set them in the sand. Then I took off my nightgown and tank top, leaving me in only a white cotton bra and underwear. I waded into the ocean, letting the cold of the water soothe my back. I checked my tattoo in the moonlight. It was one a.m. No one was going to be out here to see me.

"Couldn't sleep?" A voice asked me. I turned back to the beach. It was the boy from the game earlier. Of course he would be up when no one else was.

I never sleep, I signed, not expecting him to understand. I was glad I was far enough that the water covered up to my collarbone.

What do you mean? He signed back, surprising me, and laying out a blanket and sitting in the sand next to my clothes and boots.

I slept for a couple hours or so early this morning. And a couple hours sleep usually lasts me a week or more, I signed to him. I didn't know why I was telling him this. He was just easy to talk to.

"You really never sleep?" He asked me.

Nope. Usually I'll find a place where I'm under the open sky, and just look at the stars. That pretty much meant the backyard of our house, I signed, wincing at the memory of my home of all my years. I probably wasn't ever going to see it again. What about you? You can't sleep either?

"Nah. I like it out at the beach. It's quiet. And a lot of the time, rest without sleep can keep a person going. You know that." He said. I nodded. I did know what he meant. It's how I managed to stay awake for a week or more at a time. "Mind if I join you for a swim?"

I'm not going to stop you, I told him.

He stripped off his leather jacket, shirt, jeans, and shoes, leaving him in a pair of boxers. He was muscular, but in a way that you couldn't tell when he was wearing all of his clothes. He waded out to stand near me, and since he was only a little bit taller, he was mostly submerged also.

"I don't believe we've even formally met. I'm Cypress Creek, son of Hypnos. And you are?" He asked.

I'm Nikita Caliya Beckett, unclaimed camper. I was told I would likely be claimed tonight, but that didn't happen. I hope it happens soon, because I've literally met my dad but I still don't know who he is, I said.

"Don't worry. You'll be claimed soon. The gods are much more attentive to claiming their kids now that Percy made them swear to be. You'll be claimed by the end of this week, for certain." He told me.

I hope you're right, I replied, looking down at the water.

"Triumphant Beauty." Cypress said. "That's what your name means. Nikita means Triumphant, while Caliya means Beauty." I looked up at him.

Your name means strong or muscular, I told him. He laughed.

"Well, I guess my mom named me right, right?" He asked.

You can't really tell when you have your clothes on, I said. My face burned bright red. That came out wrong. He grinned at me.

"I know what you meant, Niki." He said.

Niki? I spelled out.

"It's the perfect nickname." He told me.

If you're going to call me Niki, I'm going to call you Cy, I told him.

"It's only fair. So, tell me, why did you decide to go for a swim in the ocean?" Cypress asked.

It's relaxing, and feels nice, especially on my... I trailed off. I didn't really want to tell him about my scars.

"With your what?" He asked curiously.

Nevermind. It's just relaxing. I said.

"Alright. So, earlier at the game. I saw you fending off both Piper and Jason. You signed at her that 'No one owns you'. What was that all about?" Cypress asked.

Her charmspeak didn't work on me through sheer force of will. No one is ordering me around ever again. No one is going to act like they own me ever again. I signed, then started twisting the ring on my finger. I hadn't taken it off at all since I received it that morning.

"Controlling parent?" He asked.

You could say that. My mother and I had a very complicated relationship. She always threatened to leave me, but she finally did it today, the day we were supposed to go back home from our vacation, I said.

"Sounds horrible. Why didn't you ever leave before? I ran away once, but I'm on good terms with my mom now." He told me.

Like I said, it's complicated. She lied to me a lot, to keep me there. I never had to lie. With how she treated me, it left me hating the idea of her going, but also loving the idea of just walking away and never looking back. She knew every time I came close to leaving. She knew and she would act so motherly, act like she loved me, lie and say all the bad things were gone and done with and were never coming back. It was always a lie. I signed. I turned to the beach. I'm getting out of the water.

As I waded towards the shore, I heard Cypress gasp when my scars came into view. I didn't care at this point, so I just ignored it, and kept walking. I had just made it to where the water ended when he stopped me by placing a hand on my arm. He turned me to face him.

"Did she do that to you?" He asked.

No, but she might as well have. She let them, didn't care who it was or what they did, just let them hurt me time and time again. I said, anger in my eyes. I pulled my arm from his and continued to where my pile of clothes lay. I slipped my nightgown on, and sat down on the blanket that Cypress had laid out earlier. I brought my knees to my chest and placed my forehead on them. I heard Cypress put his own clothes back on, then he sat next to me and put an arm around me. I leaned into him, silently crying. I soon fell asleep.

* * *

 **Chapitre Deux. Thoughts?**

 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**


	4. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

* * *

When I woke, I was in a very awkward position on the blanket with Cypress. We were laying side by side, and my nightgown had hitched up over my stomach during the night, so a large part of my stomach was uncovered. Cypress had one of his legs over both of mine, and an arm over my uncovered stomach. His other arm was under his head, which was right against the back of my own, and my tank top was balled under my head. There was some sand on the blanket we were laying on. I glanced at my wrist. It was six thirty a.m.

I shook him softly. He didn't stir. I shook him a little harder.

"Yeah, Niki?" He asked in a groggy voice. It was obvious he had just woken.

Could you get off of me, please? It's six thirty a.m. And I'm pretty sure neither of us were supposed to be out of the cabins last night. I need to get back to the Hermes cabin. I signed.

"Sorry." He said, removing himself from my side. I slowly pulled myself into a sitting position, and put my boots on. Then I stood, holding my tank top in my hand. I didn't feel like taking my nightgown off to put it back on, even though I was shivering a little. The morning was a little bit cold.

"Here." Cypress said. I felt a weight settle on my shoulders. It was his jacket. I pulled it around my shoulders and slipped my arms into the sleeves.

Thank you, I signed.

"You're welcome. Now, get back to your cabin. My siblings won't miss me, but the Hermes cabin might be wondering where you are if any of them are up yet." He told me. He leaned down and picked up the blanket, shaking it out and rolling it up before slinging it over his shoulder.

I walked silently along the creek with Cypress until we had made it out of the forest. At that point, we split in different directions; him to his cabin nearby, and me to the main ring of cabins wherein the Hermes cabin lay. I glanced at my wrist as I slipped inside the Hermes cabin. It was seven. Someone was bound to be up by now.

Sure enough, Travis and Connor were up. I expected more people to be awake, but they weren't.

"Where were you all night?" Travis asked, loud enough for me to hear, but quiet enough not to wake anyone.

"And whose jacket is that?" Connor asked. I blushed slightly at the memory of waking tangled up with Cypress, and of standing so close to him in only my undergarments.

"Earth to Nikita." Travis said. I looked up at the brothers.

"You spaced out." Connor added helpfully.

Sorry, I said. And for your information, I went out for a late night swim. A friend happened to decide to do the same thing. I fell asleep on the beach, and he loaned me his jacket.

"Well, we don't actually know what you're trying to tell us." Travis said. I shrugged, and he looked under his bed for something. Then he stood back up and handed me a notepad and pen. I accepted it and wrote what I had already tried to tell them.

"And that's all that happened?" Connor asked.

"Nothing else whatsoever?" Travis asked, grinning.

Shut up! I signed, face burning bright red at even the thought. They just laughed, getting what I meant when I glared.

I went to the bunk I was currently staying at and pulled out a pair of sweatpants, a camp T-shirt, and undergarments. Then I went to the bathroom to change.

I exited the bathroom after changing into dryer clothes and putting back on Cypress's jacket. I dug my hair brush from my suitcase and brushed through my hair. Then I got out deodorant and my toothbrush and toothpaste, and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

* * *

When the horn for breakfast sounded, I was curled up on my bunk reading from my book. I placed the book on my bunk and followed the campers out of the cabin.

When we sat to eat, I searched the tables in the mess hall for Cypress, and found him at a table that didn't hold very many campers. He smirked at me across the mess hall when he saw I was wearing his jacket, and I stuck my tongue out at him. That made him laugh, and made Travis and Connor try to see who it was, but I looked back at my food.

At the end of breakfast, as we were preparing to leave, I noticed Travis and Connor staring at me. Or rather, above my head. I saw more and more people looking up above me. I looked up, and saw the same Sun and Moon symbol that was on the ring on my finger. I absentmindedly turned it.

"Campers! Our newest camper has been claimed!" Chiron called. He kneeled. "All hail Nikita Caliya Beckett, daughter of the primordial god Aether, ruler of the upper air that only the gods breathe." He stood and made his way over to me as campers started to exit.

So my father is Aether? I asked Chiron. Thankfully, he seemed to understand me. More people here than I would have expected seemed to understand me.

"Yes. You are an interesting case, though, as he is a primordial god, not known to have mortal children." Chiron told me.

I guess that explains the eyes and the tattoo, I said. But not the weather resistance.

"The weather resistance, as you say, would be from the fact that weather doesn't affect air, and you are essentially behaving as the atmosphere." Chiron explained. "As for cabins, one will be built. We have been working on cabins for all of the gods, but it has gone on more a need basis first, building cabins that are needed first. You will get to choose the location and the design of the cabin, as you are the only camper who will be staying in that cabin."

I'll think about how if would best be designed, then. I said to Chiron. Then I left the mess hall.

I found Cypress waiting for me outside the mess hall. I hugged him, and he hugged me back. I was claimed! I said. Thank you for your reassurance. I was doubting him.

"Hey, I told you that you would be claimed by the end of the week. And you were. You had nothing to worry about." Cypress told me.

Oh, here. You can have your jacket back now. I told Cypress, taking it off and handing it to him. He took it and folded it over his arm.

"Thanks. Do you want to spar?" He asked me.

Sure. I replied. We started to walk towards the arena.

"We've got to stop at the cabins so we can grab our weapons." Cypress told me as we neared the cabins.

Obviously, I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Well aren't you just full of happiness today, Niki?" Cypress said.

Right back at you, Cy. I retorted. He laughed.

We reached the Hypnos cabin first, and I followed him inside, and looked around while he went over to his own bed to grab what he needed. The cabin had light wooden walls, a dark wooden floor, and dark wooden beams across the ceiling. There was a fireplace on the back wall, and a bowl was set on the mantle, catching the drops that fell from two crossed branches. The beds were against the walls, and a couple couches were placed throughout.

"You ready to go?" Cypress asked.

Yeah. Now we've got to go to the Hermes cabin. I replied.

When we got to the Hermes cabin, I went over to my bunk and took my weapons belt from the hook. My dagger was already in my boot, as I had basically designated my boot for holding the dagger.

"Greek mythology book?" Cypress asked. He was looking at my book, which I had left on the bed.

Yeah. My mother bought it for me a long time ago. It's always been my favorite book. It was the only one I brought with me to the cabin on the beach. I said. He nodded, understanding I didn't really want to talk about it.

* * *

When we got to the arena, there weren't very many people there. Just a couple sparring matches going on here and there. We chose a spot and I drew my swords.

He went to attack first, but I blocked. That left me with an open sword and him with an opening in his defenses. But I didn't take the opportunity and attack, realizing he wasn't just going to do something that would allow me to so easily defeat him.

Cypress went on the attack again, and I blocked with only one sword. I didn't realize he had brought out a dagger until I batted it away with my second sword on instinct. Cypress grinned, and I rolled my eyes.

The third time that he attacked, he knocked away one of my swords when I went to block. I blocked another attack with my remaining sword as I leaned down to take my dagger from my boot. I threw it at him just as he attacked, when he couldn't bring his sword back up to block it, and it struck the edge of his arm. He swore and sheathed his sword, holding his arm.

Sorry! I exclaimed, dropping my sword to sign. He looked up and grinned at me again.

"Don't worry about it. This is what we've got ambrosia and nectar for. And I've been through much worse." Cypress said. He pulled a plastic bag from his jeans pocket, and broke off a small piece of what looked like a gold colored brownie. After he ate it, the wound closed up perfectly.

"See? All better." Cypress said with a grin. I smiled and collected my weapons from the floor.

We sparred for the next few hours, and I don't think either of us particularly cared when it came time for lunch. By then, though, everyone else in the arena had left. We continued to spar.

Cypress managed to knock my swords from my hands, and I was quick to have my dagger out. I stepped in and knocked his sword from his hand with my dagger, with a quick move, and retreated quickly. He drew his own dagger. I threw my dagger just as he threw his, and threw up an arm in front of myself to block the dagger. It didn't hit me, but mine hit his arm.

The reason the dagger didn't hit me was because of a circle of light, the size of a shield, floating in front of my forearm. I moved my arm, and it followed. It also weighed nothing. Well, that's new. I signed. Cypress laughed.

"Must be a power relates to your father. If I remember correctly, he had a lot to do with light and stuff up there." Cypress said.

Yeah. I've read my book at least a million times over. I told him.

"Do you think you can do anything else with light?" Cypress asked.

I don't know. Maybe? I asked. The shield of light flickered then went out. Guess I didn't need that anymore.

"We can figure that out later. I'm done with sparring for now. Let's go put away our weapons." Cypress said. I agreed that I was done sparring.

We made our way to the cabins, where we put away our weapons, and then we went to the beach at the lake.

* * *

When we got to beach, we took our shoes off to wade into the water. Then Cypress picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. Cy! I signed, even though he couldn't see it. I hit his back, but that didn't do anything as he carried me to the water, laughing. Then he threw me in off the little dock.

I came up, spluttering. What was that for? I signed at him. He stood on the dock laughing.

"It was funny, Niki!" He yelled back.

I'm going to get you back, Cy. I promised him. He just stood there laughing. All of a sudden, a rope of light wrapped around one of his ankles and pulled his feet from under him. He landed hard on the dock.

"Niki! No fair! I don't have powers like yours!" Cypress complained. It was my turn to laugh at him.

Like before, I don't know where this is coming from or how to control it. It just kind of happens. That was a nice coincidence. I told him with a grin. He pulled himself back up. Another rope of light wrapped around his waist and pulled him off the dock, into the water.

He came up spitting water.

"Just a coincidence?" He asked me. I shrugged, a smile on my face.

He splashed me from where he stood a few feet away, waist deep in the water. I splashed him back, and soon, we were splashing each other and laughing.

We got out of the water after a while. I picked up my combat boots and just held them. My feet were covered in sand, so I wasn't going to put them on yet.

You know what I really need? I said as we walked towards the cabins. Everyone was still at lunch. I looked at my wrist. We weren't at the lake for very long.

"What? A life?" Cypress asked.

No. I said, punching him in the shoulder. A bathing suit. So I don't keep going in the water and ending up with soaking wet clothes. Though that last one's your fault, Cy.

"Oh, you know you love me, Niki." Cypress said with a grin. I rolled my eyes.

I went to the Hermes cabin to change while he went to his to change. He finished before I did, so when I came out of the bathroom, he was sitting on my bunk.

"We could go get you one." He told me.

A bathing suit? In December? I asked.

"I know a place. They've got all kinds of clothes all year long." Cypress told me.

If we're going to go outside of Camp, I'd like to visit somewhere, after. I said.

"Like where?" He asked curiously.

My home, to get a couple things. I don't care if she changed all the locks, I don't care if she yells at me or won't speak to me. I'd like to get some things from my room. I said.

"You're sure you want to go back there?" Cypress asked, concerned.

Yeah, I'm sure. I replied.

We got our weapons, to fend off any potential monsters, and made our way to the border of Camp. As we stood by Thalia's tree, I turned to Cypress. Shouldn't we tell someone where we're going? I asked.

"Nah. Besides, we're technically not supposed to be leaving camp." He said.

So we're breaking the rules? I asked. His eyes twinkled.

"Yes we are." He told me.

Cool, let's go. I said.

* * *

We took a cab to a little shop on the corner of a mostly empty street. It was called Vintage Attitude.

When we went inside, Cypress showed me to where the bathing suits were. He went to go look at other things, while I browsed the bathing suits.

I picked up a couple and brought them to the changing rooms. I tried them on one by one. I couldn't decide between two of them. When I asked Cypress what I should do, he asked to see them on me.

The first one was a dark red bikini, simple and plain. The second one was a black one of the same style. It wasn't so much a style choice as a color choice.

"Get both." Cypress told me.

I'll pay you back, I promise. I told him.

"Don't worry about it." Cypress said.

As we left the shop, Cypress handed me a bag, something he had bought while I was trying on bathing suits. "Open it." He told me.

I pulled out a black leather jacket. It was worn and smelled of leather. But it was beautiful. Thank you. I said to him.

"Now you don't need to steal mine." Cypress told me. I laughed, and put it on after putting my hoodie in the bag with the bikinis.

* * *

As we walked down the street, a man bumped into Cypress. Being some random jerk on the street, he told Cypress to watch it when he should've been paying attention. Then he noticed me, and I saw his face. I froze. "Hello, girly. You been a good girl or a naughty girl?" He asked.

I froze in place. "Get away from us." Cypress growled. He saw the fear in my eyes, he recognized it like when he saw it during the game, though I don't think he understood the reason it was there, not that anyone would, no one knew me. He put his arm protectively around me, and I held onto him.

"Does he know how naughty you really are?" The man asked.

"Dude. Just get away." Cypress growled. The man laughed, and left. Cypress kept his arm around me as we continued to walk. "Don't worry about him. He's just some random jerk walking down the street." That didn't stop me from shaking for the next few minutes that we walked.

Ready to break into my own house? I finally asked Cypress. He nodded. I noticed how he still hadn't taken his arm from around me, but I didn't mind.

* * *

 **Who's ever had to break into their own house? Maybe not under circumstances such as Nikita's, but at all? Does it count if you lock yourself out but open the fence and find you, thankfully, left the back door unlocked? Maybe.**

 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Today's update is a little late, I'm not going to try and come up with excuses: Today was my first day of summer vacation, and I spent most of it sleeping. I only left my room three times today, and all in the morning.**

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

* * *

We took a cab to the corner of the street that my mother lived on. Funny how I didn't think of it as home anymore. I suppose I never did, always just thought of it as where I lived.

When we stepped onto the front porch, I took the key from the hanging plant. Just because I basically never left didn't mean I never looked out the window to watch my mother come and go. I unlocked and opened the door quietly. I turned to Cypress. You need to be as silent as possible. Make little to no noise. I told him. He nodded, and I handed him the bag to hold.

I walked inside, my every step and every breath silent. Cypress made very little noise behind me. I didn't hear any other sound from the house, so I thought that my mother might be out right now.

I went upstairs, to my room. I didn't touch any of the books or grab any clothes, I went straight to the bed. I knelt down and felt under the bed for the small knothole. When I found it, I used it to lift the floorboard out of place.

The little hidden space in the floor held something that my father had given to me years ago, something I had nearly forgotten about. It was a faded leather wallet that buttoned closed, with the word rebel printed (and also faded) on the side. One of the few times I left to shop with my mother, someone bumped into me in the street and slipped it in my pocket, accompanied by a note telling me that the card inside would never run out of money. The note was signed 'Your father', and also said he had sent the man. The card was green, and it had the words 'Lotus Cash Card' on one side. Over the years, I had stolen cash from my mother here and there, but not enough to make her suspicious of me. But I'd done it so long that there was a sizable amount of cash in there.

I slipped the wallet into my jacket pocket and again felt around in the space. I pulled out a pocket knife that I had found and stashed there a while ago. I replaced the floorboard. Then I stood quietly and we slipped back downstairs.

We were passing through the kitchen when a cold voice stopped me in my tracks, and Cypress who was beside me, also stopped. "Nikita." It was my mother. I turned to face her.

She studied my shirt for a moment before speaking again. "I see you've found that stupid camp." She sneered. She glanced at Cypress. "Who's this, some boy toy of yours?"

I rolled my eyes. You're one to speak, I signed. She backhanded me across the face. With your whores and all. She backhanded me again. Blood dripped from my nose.

"I am your mother. You will not speak to me like that." She said through clenched teeth. If I could, I would've laughed at her choice of words. I can't speak at all.

You don't own me. You never did. And I'm not about to let you act that way ever again. I told her. I remained calm, even though I wanted nothing more than to punch her.

"Nikita. I love you, honey. And you love me, remember?" She said, voice suddenly soft. It wasn't going to work this time.

No, it was all a lie. I'm not coming back, I'm not sticking around. You can sell your own body how you want to, but I'm not going to let you lie and I'm not going to fall for it, not going to let you sell my body ever again. You. Do. Not. Own. Me. I told her. She went to backhand me again, but my own hand shot out and I grabbed her wrist before she could. She tried to pull her hand away, but I held on. She tried to pull away again and I let go. You're never touching me again. You're never telling me what to do again. You're never treating me like I'm lower than the dirt on the ground again. And I sure as hell hope you never see me again. I told her. I left the house. I knew she'd at least go to watch, so I was quick to slip down the street and into an alley.

As soon as I was out of sight of the house, I leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. I put my head in my hands, knees pulled up to my chest. A tear slid down my cheek. Cypress knelt down next to me.

"Are you ok?" He asked me quietly.

No. Does it look I'm okay? I signed harshly. He moved back a little. I'm sorry. I honestly expected worse than this to happen, but it just hurts so much.

"Did she really..." He swallowed hard. "Sell your body?"

Ever since I was ten, almost every night of every week. I started to cry, but the tears made no noise.

"And that man? He was one of them?" Cypress asked.

One of her regulars, I signed. Cypress's eyes flashed angrily.

"I'll kill him." He said. I grabbed his arm.

No, you won't. You won't get involved. I'm not apart of that environment anymore, and you're not going to be. I told him.

"Alright, but if anything happens-" Cypress started, but I cut him off with a glare.

C'mon. We need to get back now. I told Cypress. He helped me stand, and we started down the street, away from my mother's home.

Of course, the same man from before decided to make an appearance, stepping out from between houses into our path.

"Found your way back home, eh, naughty girl?" He asked. Cypress stepped forward, but I held him back. "Can't fight your own fights?"

I pulled the pocketknife from my pocket and held it up threateningly, glaring at him. He must've seen that I wasn't joking, and that I was really angry, because he turned and ran off. I put the pocketknife back in my pocket.

My nose was still dripping blood by the time we got out of the cab and started toward Camp. When we reached Thalia's pine, Will came running up to us. "Where the Hades have you two been?" He exclaimed. Cypress and I just glanced at each other.

We went out, I signed.

"Why is your nose bleeding? Nevermind, not important." He said. He looked at the two of us. "There's been a prophecy. And it centers on the two of you."

We were rushed to the Big House, where a council meeting was being held around a ping pong table. We sat next to each other, beside Chiron.

"Annabeth, will you recite the prophecy please?" Chiron asked.

"Daughter of light and air

Son of dream and nightmare

Find allies in the past

They'll protect you till the last

The selfish mother's err you must locate

Else all will come to checkmate

Inevitable is death

One will breathe last breath"

I placed my head down on the table in front of me. A tear fell down my cheek at the thought of going back there.

"Nikita?" Annabeth asked.

I lifted my head. I don't want to go back there again. I signed slowly.

"Your nose is bleeding." Someone noted.

It's still bleeding? I asked, reaching up to touch just under my nose. My fingers came away bloody.

"I don't think that's normal. It's been at least an hour." Cypress said. Will handed me some gauze. I don't know why he was carrying gauze, must be a doctor thing, but I accepted it and held it to my nose.

"I assume you know what the prophecy is speaking about?" Chiron asked me.

It has to be one of our mothers. And I know that means I'm going to have to go visit my mother again after she hit me in the face twice and I told her I hoped never to see her again. I said. We ignored the part that said someone was going to die.

"Where do each of your mothers live?" Chiron asked us.

New York. About an hour away, if it's been an hour. I said.

"My mom lives in Maine." Cypress said.

"This quest was specifically centered on the two of you. Usually, three demigods will go on a quest. Do you two want a third?" Chiron asked.

Cypress looked to me. I was grateful for that, he was letting me decide whether to let another person in on my past. I think I would rather not have another person. I said. I didn't even want him to know as much about my past as he does, and he's like my only friend.

"Alright then. You two will have to make plans for your quest. Supplies will be provided. I believe that the 'before it is too late' that the prophecy speaks of is the Winter Solstice. When night and day are equal, evil is at its strongest. The Solstice is the 21st, so you have a little bit of time." Chiron said.

Alright. But can I please have my nose checked out? I asked. It was still bleeding, slowly, but bleeding. The gauze was soaked through and blood was dripping down my hand.

"Go." Chiron said wearily. I stood and made my way to the infirmary, Will and Cypress following.

* * *

When I got to the infirmary, Will had me sit on a bed and gave me fresh gauze, which was definitely helpful, because there was blood all over my arm.

"Ok, can you please explain why your nose started bleeding?" Will asked.

She accused Cypress of being a boy toy and I told her she was one to talk. She backhanded me, and then I continued by saying 'With your whores and all.' She backhanded me again. I admitted. Will's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I forgot that he didn't understand sign language. I turned to Cypress. Could you tell him?

Yeah, no problem, He signed back. Then he told Will what I had said, summarizing it to I had insulted her after she insulted us, and she'd backhanded me across the face, twice.

"And that's what triggered the nose bleed?" Will asked.

Yeah, she hit me pretty hard, I signed. Cypress relayed my words to Will.

"How long ago was it?" Will asked. I looked to Cypress.

"Probably an hour or so ago." Cypress said. The small piece of gauze was now soaked through, so Will gave me another.

"Alright. Well, we can't do much now except wait for the blood flow to stop, and give you some ambrosia." Will said. He retrieved a square from the medicine cabinet and also brought me another gauze pad, but brought a couple so I had them when I needed them.

After eating the ambrosia, the blood trickled to a stop. I was relieved, because I was really getting tired of it. And it was starting to look like I was involved in a murder.

Will have me a baggie of ambrosia. "Just in case it starts again. I don't know what's caused it, and if it persists, we may need to make something for it." He told me. I nodded.

As we walked out of the infirmary, Cypress spoke up. "Are you ok?" He asked me.

I'm fine. I didn't actually really feel it all that much. It was more just an annoyance than anything else. I told him.

"I was worried. I seriously thought that you were going to bleed out or something, Niki." Cypress said. His voice was completely sincere.

Lighten up. I told him. I'm fine. And also I need to wash all this blood off. Looks like I murdered someone. I said. He laughed.

When we got to the Hermes cabin, I went in while Cypress went to his own cabin.

* * *

When I went inside the Hermes cabin, a couple of the campers were inside. The girl who I had been next to for that first meal, Leah, took one look at my arm and said "Who did you murder?" I laughed.

More like my nose tried to murder me. It wouldn't stop bleeding for about an hour. I told her.

"Really?" She asked.

Yeah, but it's all taken care of now. I told her.

I went into the bathroom and found some washcloths. I ran them under hot water and put some soap on them, then proceeded to wash the blood from my arm. I was careful not to run any bloody water down my rolled up jacket sleeve. I was also glad I had rolled up the sleeve before there was too much blood, so I hadn't gotten any blood on it.

After I was done washing the blood from my arm and my face, I threw the washcloths away. They weren't salvageable, they were much too blood covered.

I went to my bunk and laid down. I didn't think I would sleep, but I guess the day's events had just really taken a lot out of me.

I guess the Hermes campers realized I must've really needed the sleep, because no one woke me for dinner. But I didn't mind, because I really did need the sleep. Other than the morning my mother left me and that night on the beach, I hadn't slept in a week.

* * *

When I did wake from that nap, the Hermes campers had just gotten done changing, the lights were out, and everyone was laying down. I got up and took some clothes from my suitcase so I could change.

When I went into the bathroom, I changed into my black bathing suit, and put a nightgown on over. Then I put the jacket Cypress had brought me back on. I slipped some undergarments into the inside pockets of the jacket, for after. I actually planned ahead to swim this time. The pocket knife and wallet, those went into my suitcase. I grabbed a towel and turned the light off in the bathroom before I opened the door. That way no one would see the towel.

Now I was sure everyone was asleep, I put my boots back on, which i had taken off along with my weapon belt before lying down. I grabbed a blanket and threw that over my shoulder along with the towel. The only weapon I took with me was the dagger in my boot.

After I exited the cabin, I followed the creek through the forest as I had done before.

* * *

When I got to the beach, I set my towel and my blanket down in a heap. I tossed my boots beside the pile. I was about to take off my jacket and nightgown and go in the ocean when my father appeared in front of me.

"Nikita." He said.

Dad. I was surprised by his appearance. Why are you here?

"I want you to know that I love you. And that I just want you safe and happy." He told me.

I'm getting the feeling that something is very wrong here. I started slowly.

"The nosebleed today was the first of it. It could take years or it could be quick. But the fact remains the same. You are dying, Nikita." He said. I stared at him in shock, and he continued, a tear rolling down his cheek. "You are half primordial, and it is too much. Too much for someone half mortal. It is why you never hear of such things like is much older beings having mortal children. They do not last, and most of them die in infancy. But I was lucky with you, Nikita, extremely lucky. I got to watch you grow up, albeit under very difficult circumstances. I got to watch you become a strong young woman. And I'm glad for that."

I'm really dying? I asked.

"Yes. But there are ways, ways to slow it." He handed me a little bottle, the same size and shape as a bottle of vanilla extract. It had a a small keyring loop, so that you could attach it to things. I took it, and stared at it. "Use it for any injuries you may get. It will not run out. Do not take any more ambrosia and nectar. It is the food of the gods, and it will only speed the process."

Are there any other ways? I asked him. I put the bottle in my jacket pocket.

"None that we are yet desperate enough to try. I love you, Nikita. Be strong, and you will get through this. And while you are on your quest, I will take care of your cabin for you." With that, he disappeared.

In a sort of state of shock, I sat down in the sand. But I soon stood again. There was nothing I could do, so I determined that I would continue on as normal.

I took off my jacket and nightgown, then went into the water. It was frigid, but it provided clarity in my mess of thoughts. I floated on my back in the water, staring up at the sky.

* * *

 **Who else hates everything? Me. Well, no, that's not true, I love a lot of things. I'll just settle for hating Nikita's mother.**

 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**


	6. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

* * *

Sometime later, I heard someone get in the water. As I heard them draw near, I signed. Cypress, don't you dare splash me. I said, eyes still closed.

"You're no fun, Niki." He complained. I leaned forward, falling into a standing position in the water.

I'm really not in the mood for anything, right now, Cy. I'm sorry. I just have a lot to think about. I said.

"Like?" He asked. I shook my head, and he didn't pursue the subject.

I waded out of the water, and Cypress followed me. I used my towel to get as much water from my hair as I could after I wrung my hair out. Then I dried off as much as I could in the bathing suit.

I'll be right back. I told Cypress, picking up my clothes. I'm going to go change. He nodded and sat on the towel he'd brought, looking out to the ocean.

I went into the forest, found a hidden place, and changed into the dry undergarments I'd brought, then put my nightgown on. My jacket I folded over my arm. Then I went back onto the beach.

I see you've also decided to change. I said to Cypress. And he had. He had had swim trunks on before I left, and now he had sweatpants and a T-shirt on. The swim trunks were sitting in the sand by his jacket.

"Well, I'm not going to sit all night in wet swim trunks." Cypress said. He spread out a blanket, and sat down. I sat next to him, and put the blanket I had brought around myself. It was big enough that Cypress was able to take the end and put it around himself.

"So, are we even going to plan for this quest or what?" Cypress asked.

I say we visit both of our mothers. It's pretty obvious that the selfish mother is my mother. So I say we visit her second, because also I just don't want to see her. I said. And you met my mom, so I'd like to meet yours.

"I'm fine with that plan." Cypress said. "What supplies do you think we'll need?"

I say we bring a backpack. An extra set of clothes or two each, some drachmae, and some nectar and ambrosia. I said. Nectar and ambrosia for you, not for me, I didn't add.

"Sounds good." Cypress replied.

* * *

It was sometime around twelve, and we had been just been sitting there, staring at the stars. Cypress, I signed softly.

"Yeah?" He replied, voice quiet.

I need to tell you something really important. I told him. I turned to face him, to look him in the eyes. I held up my hands and signed slowly. I'm dying. His breath caught as he stared into my eyes.

"What?" He asked softly.

I'm dying, and there is no way to stop it. My dad - he visited me earlier. He told me. I'm not half god, I'm half primordial, and it's too much for a half mortal. It's killing me. That's what the nosebleed was. He said it's starting to show. The reason no one's ever heard of the more powerful, older beings having mortal children is because they all die. Most in infancy. I was lucky to live this long.

"There's really nothing you can do?" Cypress asked, almost choking on the words.

Nothing to stop it. Only to slow it. He gave me something to take instead of nectar and ambrosia, because the food of the gods will only speed the illness, or whatever you want to call it. But it won't always work. I said. And I have an idea, but it's really risky even without the extra risks I've got.

"What's your idea?" Cypress asked.

I'm going to go to the Underworld. And I'm going to take a dip in the Styx. When the thing he gave me stops working, I won't be able to stop the bleeding when I get hurt. If I can become invincible, then it will protect me from external injury. I just hope that, because I lasted this long before the illness really set in, it's awhile before I need to go to the Styx. I told him.

"What's the extra risk?" Cypress asked.

My mother. I know she won't give her blessing. And that's the key. Sometimes I think maybe my dad gave me that specific book for a reason. I've seen other copies of the same book, briefly, and mine contains things the others don't. It has so many more details on everything. My mother received it when she ordered a Greek mythology book for me, when I wanted to learn as much about my heritage as I could. I said.

"You're going to go in without her blessing? Nikita, you'll die! Achilles was dipped in by his mother, Luke needed his mother's blessing, and Percy almost died even though he had his mother's blessing, too!" Cypress exclaimed.

Cypress, I said, a tear falling down my cheek, I'm going to die anyway. This just gives me a chance, and I am going to take it when I need to. And I'm going to hope that I don't need to take it for a good long time.

"I just don't want to lose you, Nikita. I've never been as close to anyone else as I am to you, except with two people that I haven't seen in years. My cabin has a bit of a reputation as being lazy or always sleeping. And though I'm the opposite of that, I've never much made friends here. You're my only friend, Nikita." Cypress said.

You're my only friend, too, Cypress. I told him. He hugged me tight, and I hugged him back.

After he let go of me, I layed on my side on the blanket, and pulled the blanket over myself. Cypress layed down next to me, and did the same. I didn't expect to sleep, but I did.

* * *

When I woke in the morning, it was because of Leah shaking me awake. I opened my eyes and realized that I was on the beach with Cypress. Our legs were tangled up, and he had an arm over me. I untangled myself and sat up.

"Well, hello." Leah said.

Hi. I replied. What are you doing way out here?

"I could ask you the same." Leah said.

I went for a swim. I prefer swimming in the ocean than a lake. And also I like to be under the stars. I said.

I turned to look at Cypress. He was still snoring. I punched him in the arm.

He sat up and looked around. Then he looked at Leah. "Hello." He said chirpily.

"I came out here looking for you guys. I was actually awake when you came back to the cabin, Nikita, when you spoke to the Stolls. When we didn't see you in the cabin, I figured you were on the beach again. Anyways, I went out early, but you guys are going to want to get ready for your quest soon." Leah said.

* * *

After I had gone back to the Hermes cabin, gotten clothes, and showered, I packed the backpack Cypress had brought over. He had put two extra sets of clothes inside, a pouch of drachmae, and some rolls of gauze for if I got hurt. I added two extra sets of clothes of my own, my hairbrush, and my book. I felt like we might need it. Besides, it had so much more than you usually would see in a book like it. I knew that my father had altered it. Besides, it had so much information in it that it would be extremely useful. It was also really light, which I guess my father had altered about it too.

I zipped up the backpack and put it on. We were going to skip breakfast, and just go straight away to Maine. I checked that I had all my weapons - swords on my belt, dagger in my boot, pocket knife in my jacket. I stuck my wallet in my jacket, too. Then I went to Half Blood Hill, Camp's main entrance, to meet Cypress and Argus. Argus was driving us to Cypress's mother's home, and from there we'd make our own way back to see my mother.

"You ready to go?" Cypress asked me.

Yeah. I'm good. Not looking forward to parts of this, but ready nonetheless. I said. Cypress laughed.

The drive to Maine took a couple hours, during which I mostly stared out the window. Cypress talked about growing up with his mother in their house, which she still owned now.

* * *

When we got there, we thanked Argus and then turned to the house. It was a simple house, two stories painted white with a small porch with a railing. We went up to the door, and Cypress knocked. A woman answered, and her eyes lit up when she saw him. She enveloped him in a hug, while I stood off to the side awkwardly.

After she stepped back, she looked at me. "Hello. Cypress, who is this?" She asked.

I'm Nikita. I replied.

Nice to meet you, she replied. I'm Lauren. I smiled at her. But I also wondered why so many people I'd recently met knew sign language, as many people generally did not happen to know it. It was uncanny. Almost like something out of fiction.

"We're on a quest, Mom." Cypress told her.

"Well, come in, and tell me all about it." She said, opening the door wide. We went into the living room and sat on the couch, while Cypress's mother sat on a chair.

"Tell me about the prophecy." She said.

"Daughter of light and air

Son of dream and nightmare

Find allies in the past

They'll protect you till the last

The selfish mother's err you must locate

Else all will come to checkmate

Inevitable is death

One will breathe last breath." Cypress recited.

We already know that it's talking about my own mother. I just really don't want to see her again. I said.

"It sounds like you might not have to. You just have to figure out what her error is, right? That shouldn't be too hard." Cypress's mom said. Thankfully, she didn't ask about the last part.

It's going to be really hard. She has got a whole lot of errors. I said.

"But this sounds like it would be something big, and not any of the little or even big things that any parents sometimes make?" She asked. I was silent, and so was Cypress. "Is everything alright?"

She's made a lot of mistakes. And there's no way she's going to just spill all her secrets. It's going to take time to find whatever it is that we need to correct. I said slowly.

"What did that woman do to you?" She asked. I didn't answer. Cypress looked at me sadly. "Are you ok?"

I just don't want to go back right yet. It hasn't even been twenty four hours since we went to my house so I could grab a couple things, before the prophecy was ever made. I said.

"Well, you can spend the day here, and the night, too. Though we don't have an extra bedroom..." She said.

"It's fine. We've slept together before." Cypress said. His mother raised an eyebrow.

Next to each other, I corrected, slightly blushing, and Cypress made a choking sound when he realised what she had thought. She nodded.

"Well, make yourselves at home." She said.

Cypress showed me upstairs to his room. The walls were painted light blue, and there was a smallish bed against the wall. There was also a black painted dresser and a closet.

Cypress took the backpack from me and set it on the bed. "I was thinking we could go find a couple of my old friends and go down to the lake. It's currently frozen, but it's nice down there." He said.

We bringing our weapons? I asked.

"I don't know if my friends can see through the Mist or not. I'd say we shouldn't need them, but bring your dagger." Cypress said.

I emptied my pockets so I wouldn't lose anything. The only things I kept on me were the bottle my father had given me, which I put in my pocket; and my pocket knife, which I kept in my jacket pocket. I felt safer with it, even though it was a weapon for mortals, because it was a weapon for mortals. It's not that I didn't trust Cypress and his friends, I just was untrustful of pretty much everyone I didn't know or someone I knew didn't know.

We left the house, Cypress calling out to his mom where we were going. She called back to have fun and watch out for monsters.

Cypress told me that his two friends didn't live very far, just a little bit down the road. I looked around at the nearby but-not-necessarily-very-close-together houses as we walked.

* * *

The house we went up to was fifteen minutes down the road. I stayed behind Cypress as he walked up into the porch and knocked. "Who is it?" Someone called from inside.

"Why don't you come see?" Cypress called back. There was an astonished intake of breath, and the sound of running footsteps. A girl threw open the door and hugged Cypress. She was pretty, average height, brown hair and green eyes. A boy stood behind her in the doorway. He was tallish, with blonde hair and brown eyes.

The girl stepped back and took a look at Cypress. "Where have you been? Why haven't you called? We talked to your mom, but all she would tell us was that you were fine, that you were in New York." She said in a rush.

"I was in New York. I live there now. But onto the more important matter, did you two finally get together?" Cypress asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Two years together." The boy said with a smile.

"Nice. I was wondering if you guys would like to go down to the lake?" Cypress asked his friends.

"Yeah. But first, who's this, Cypress?" The girl asked.

I'm Nikita. I said kinda shyly. I'm a friend.

Cypress's friends looked at him as though expecting more detail, or more likely, an explanation on what I actually said. "Camp's got a lot of rules. And this was the only way to put off visiting her mother. You guys know the deal." He said.

"Abusive parent?" The boy asked.

More than just abusive, I answered, a little shakily, and more to myself than anyone else.

"Rain, why don't you and Adam grab your jackets and we can head down by the lake?" Cypress asked. They went back in the house, and were back out in a few minutes.

I didn't really participate in the conversation as we continued down the road toward the treeline. I just listened to them catch up with each other.

After reaching the tree line, we walked for another few minutes until we reached the lake. It wasn't a lake, more a pond, really. It had a cliff on one side that reached maybe twenty feet up. It was frozen, and there was snow all around. But then again, it was December, and we were in Maine.

"Let's go up the cliff first." Rain said. We followed her up the hill to the top of the cliff. She walked backwards right off of it, laughing in delight. Then Adam went.

"Your turn, Niki." Cypress told me.

Yeah, I'm not doing that. I said.

"C'mon, it's fun. I did it every year growing up until I left." Cypress said.

That's not going to convince me. I'm not going to break my neck just because you said it's fun. I told him.

"It's perfectly safe. The town kids come and push all the snow from the lake to the bottom, see? There's at least five feet of snow above the ice of the lake." Cypress said.

I'll just go down the hill and meet you at the bottom. I told him.

"Or you could just take a chance and have fun." Cypress said. I shook my head. He picked me up, bridal style, and stepped off the cliff before I could try to protest.

He landed in a sitting position, his legs in front of him. He still had an arm under my knees and one behind my back, though I had landed sitting in his lap. My arms were around his neck because I had freaked out and needed something to grab onto.

"See, wasn't that fun?" Cypress asked with a grin. I grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it down his shirt. "I probably deserved that." He admitted.

Damn right, I said, getting up and brushing the snow off. Cypress laughed and stood.

"That was hilarious." Adam said.

"Alright, I'm declaring a snow war!" Rain said. "Adam's on my team. Fifteen minutes to build a fort!" She declared.

Cypress pulled me over to the base of the cliff, where the most easily defensible place was. We dug out a hole in the pile of snow, leaving a wall to block any attacks. We also dug a side entrance so you could actually get in. Then Cypress showed me how to make snowballs, which we placed in a pile. To be honest, it was kind of cold, seems we were all in jeans and jackets with no gloves or anything, but it was fun. And it didn't take much concentration for me to keep us all from freezing to death.

"Time's up!" Rain yelled from their fort that was fifty feet away.

Cypress and I kept ducking out of fort to throw snowballs at his friends. Their fort was not very large, and they could barely hide behind it. I found I was actually a pretty good shot, managing to hit them a bunch of times.

Cypress was turning around to duck back into the fort when a snowball hit him in the back and he fell into me, knocking us both over. He ended up on top of me. "Seems like we've ended up like this again." He said, referring to the end of Capture The Flag.

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't get my hands up from my sides to tell him to get off of me. So, he just layed there on top of me for a couple moments. I finally managed to get an arm out from under him and flicked him in the side of the head. He got the message and got up.

"It's almost lunchtime. And I'm getting a little cold." Rain said.

"C'mon, Rain, you can't be that cold." Cypress said. I kept the rest of us shielded from the weather, but I pulled it away from Cypress. "Dammit. Nevermind, I'm cold too." I winked at him when his friends weren't looking, and he gave me a dirty look.

"How about we go to our houses and change, and then we can go to the diner?" Adam suggested.

Cypress and I continued on walking when Rain and Adam stopped at their houses to change. We reached Cypress's mother's house, and went upstairs to where we had left the backpack. I changed in the closet while Cypress changed in the room. Once we were changed, I stuck my wallet in my pocket.

* * *

 **Ah, the backstory begins to show itself.**

 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**


	7. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

* * *

We met up with Rain and Adam and then made our way to the little diner, cutting through yards and empty lots.

The place was called Cara's Diner. When we went inside, we sat in a booth by the door. A woman in her mid forties came over and gave us menus.

"Hey, Cara." Cypress said.

"Cypress?" She asked. Her voice had a Southern accent.

"Yeah, I came up to visit Mom for a day. I unfortunately have to leave tomorrow." Cypress said.

"Well, where have you been all these years?" Cara asked.

"I'm living in New York." Cypress said.

"Who's your friend?" She asked.

I'm Nikita. I said.

"Her name is Nikita." Cypress clarified.

"Well, can I get y'all something to drink?" She asked.

They all ordered sodas, while I ordered a water, Cypress ordering for me. And when we ordered our food, we all got hamburgers and French fries.

They talked while we ate, and tried to include me in the conversation, but I wouldn't talk much.

"Nikita, could you let me out so I can go pay?" Cypress asked me when we all finished eating.

I'll get it, I still owe you. I told him. I went up to the counter where Cara stood behind a register. There were a few other people around in the diner.

I took the card from my wallet and handed it to her. She swiped it in the register, and raised an eyebrow at me. My dad gave it ms a long time ago. But this is actually the first time I've used it. I told her, only realizing after that she couldn't understand. She just nodded, and handed the card back. I put it in my wallet, and went back to the table.

When I got back to the table, Rain and Adam were laughing at Cypress, who was slightly blushing. They all stood and we left the diner. We went to Rain's house to hang out.

* * *

We ended up watching a bunch of Christmas movies on the Hallmark movie channel. Rain made popcorn and brought a couple big bowls for us to eat. Rain and Adam were on the small couch, and I was on a large reclining chair with Cypress. The chair was large enough that we fit comfortably side by side.

"You guys should sleep over here." Rain told us when the last movie ended.

"I'm fine with that. Niki?" Cypress asked me.

I'm alright with that. I mean, I'd need to get the backpack so I could change. I said.

"You can have some of my pajamas that are too big. You're a little taller, so they should fit, but they might be a bit baggy." Rain told me. I looked at her, surprised. I thought she and Adam couldn't understand me. "Oh, yeah, we all learned ASL when we were little because we wanted something the adults couldn't understand."

"What about me?" Cypress asked.

"You're a boy. You'll be fine. You can deal with it. Also, borrow Adam's cell phone so your mom knows where you are." Rain told him, and he laughed.

Rain showed me up to her room, where she gave me a soft black pair of pants and a large black cotton shirt. She left the room and I changed into them. The pants were a little baggy, and the bottoms reached just past my heels. The shirt fit, but was really baggy, so the bottom hung down to my thighs. But I didn't mind, I was thankful for these clothes, because they beat my nightgowns any day. And they were really comfortable. I folded the T-shirt and jeans I had been wearing, and slung my jacket over my arm.

"Alright, who what's to watch another movie?" Rain asked when I went back downstairs. She had changed into shorts and a tank top. Adam had on only a pair of sweatpants. Cypress had on only a pair of sweatpants, and our backpack was sitting by the chair. His mom must have brought it over when he called. I put my clothes in the bag, but made sure my book was on top. I didn't want to manage to rip any pages. We sat in the same seats as before to watch another movie.

After two more movies than planned, it was late and we decided to go to sleep. Rain and Adam stayed on the couch, but pulled it out into a bed. I stayed on the recliner with Cypress, but we learned it all the way back. Rain gave us a blanket, which we shared. I didn't mind sleeping next to Cypress, after all, I had slept next to him twice before.

* * *

I woke up before anyone else did. I gently untangled myself from Cypress and went into the kitchen. I got out a bunch of things to make pancakes.

Rain was the second to wake up. She came into the kitchen and spoke to me as she handed me things to add to the batter. "How did you sleep?" She asked.

Fine. I guess I've had a lot catching up to me these past few days, because I slept at all. I said.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

I don't usually sleep. I'm used to going a week or more on three hours of sleep. My first night at Camp, I went for a swim in the ocean because I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep, and I had slept a few hours early that morning. Apparently Cypress had the same idea about swimming. That's when I really met him, because I didn't even know his name during Capture the Flag. I ended up falling asleep next to him on the beach, after he tried comforting me. I was crying because of my home life. And then the day before yesterday, my second day at Camp, I went to the beach again at night. Fell asleep next to Cypress again. And then I fell asleep again last night. I guess it's just all those years of not much sleep catching up to me, now that I don't have a reason to stay awake. I explained.

"Sounds harsh. I know where you're coming from, though. My parents were abusive. I wouldn't sleep for fear that they were going to hurt me again. They abandoned me in this town when they came to visit years ago. I was adopted by a woman who lived here, but she's since passed away. She left her house to me, already payed off. I just have to pay the bills for heating and electric and stuff. Adam lives here with me. And we have some people who help us, since we have to go to school." Rain told me.

Soon, the pancakes were done, and we woke the boys. After we all ate, we went to different rooms to change. I took a T-shirt and skinny jeans from the backpack. After I was changed, I put on my jacket. Cypress and I's weapons stayed in the backpack. They just barely fit. We weren't going to need them, Cypress's mother had offered to drive us back to New York, and the four of us were going to walk together to his house.

* * *

We were halfway to his house when everything went wrong. The thing that caused everything to go wrong was the Minotaur. It charged out at us from the trees behind this row of houses. Adam and Rain screamed.

Cypress, get them out of the way! I signed frantically. I was quick to have my dagger out of my boot. Cypress had the backpack. I could only hope he'd have enough time to get at least his sword out. Then a dracaena slithered out.

"What fine pets you four will make for our master. Especially you, little light girl." She hissed, her S's drawn out. Her voice was what a snake would sound like if it could talk.

No. We aren't going to be anyone's pets. I told her, dagger held in the crook of my elbow to sign.

"You are outmatched. And our master offers an unrefusable deal to you. Come to us freely, and he can cure you of your illness. You will not be dying, anymore. All you must do is put down the weapon and come with us." She hissed. I froze for a moment.

"Niki don't do it! She's lying! There is no way to stop it, your father wouldn't have lied to you!" Cypress yelled. He had his sword out and was standing in front of Rain and Adam to protect them. Rain looked scared, and Adam looked about to pass out.

"Shut it, sleep boy." The dracanae hissed. The Minotaur stood patiently beside her.

I took a step toward the dracanae, lowering my dagger to my side. Could she really stop it? I wondered. She hissed in delight as I moved forward. It didn't matter, I decided, because I wasn't going to let her hurt Cypress or Rain or Adam. I threw out my hand, and a bolt of light shot out, and hit her square in the chest.

"You four demigods will eventually be ours, either way." She hissed in pain.

Funny thing, I'm not a demigod. You know I am dying, and of what, so you should know too that I am much more powerful than any demigod. I told her. Another bolt of light shot out of my hand, hitting her in the chest. She exploded in a shower of golden dust.

The Minotaur wasn't patient any longer. He charged at me, but I threw up my arm and the light shield appeared again, except it was as large as me. The Minotaur bounced harmlessly off of it. Unable to get to me, he turned and charged toward Cypress. All it took to kill him was my dagger thrown at the back of his head. He exploded in a burst of golden dust as all monsters do.

I ran over to Cypress. Are you guys okay? I asked him.

"I'm fine and they're fine. But she said four demigods. Niki, they're demigods, too." Cypress said.

We'll have to bring them to Camp, then. Before we continue on our quest. I said.

"I guess Mom's not just driving us." Cypress said. I found my dagger and wiped it off in the snow before putting it back in my boot. I strapped my weapons belt on, and Cypress put his on, too. We weren't taking any more chances. I slung the backpack over my shoulder, while Cypress grabbed his friend's' arms and pulled them along to his home.

I went inside his house to get his mom and quickly explained to her that Rain and Adam were coming and that we needed to get moving. She ran out of the house behind me. We were all quick to get in the car, and Cypress's mother got us on the road fast.

Once in the car, Cypress and I placed our weapons belts under the seats, where they'd be easy to reach. Cypress's mother owned a van. Cypress and I were sitting in the last row, the one with three seats. Adam and Rain were in the middle row, next to the back doors. The middle row didn't have a middle seat, so that whoever sat in the last row could get in and out. And Cypress's mother was in the front row, in the driver's seat.

"Can someone please explain what's going on?" Rain asked.

I looked at Cypress. "Greek mythology? Not myths. It's real." He said.

"What?" Adam asked.

"Yeah. They're real. And we're demigods. Well, I'm a demigod, a son of Hypnos, the god of sleep. Nikita's actually half primordial. Her father's the primordial god Aether, who rules over the atmosphere, the upper air that the gods breathe. And that dracanae wouldn't have given a damn about you two if you weren't demigods. She wasn't lying when she said you were demigods. We need to bring you to camp, where you'll be safe." Cypress said.

"If it's not safe in the world, why aren't you two at this camp?" Rain asked.

"We're on a quest right now. A quest that we need to finish by the 21st, or something seriously bad will happen." Cypress said.

"A quest?" Rain asked.

I spoke up this time. A prophecy was given, a prophecy centering on us. Even though we don't have much time, Cypress agreed to put it off by one day, so I wouldn't have to see my mother the day after I just saw her. I said.

"If I may, I have some thoughts about your prophecy." Cypress's mother said.

"What is it?" Cypress asked. Anything would help at this point.

"Rain and Adam, they are from Cypress's past. He has not been to Maine to see any of us in years, because he could not go. But they are from his past, and I do believe they are the Allies your prophecy speaks of." She said.

That would make sense. The only people I have in my past... Not a single one of them would be an ally to us. I said.

"What does the prophecy even say?" Adam asked. Cypress took a deep breath and then recited the prophecy.

"Daughter of light and air

Son of dream and nightmare

Find allies in the past

They'll protect you till the last

The selfish mother's err you must locate

Correct it before it is too late

Else all will come to checkmate"

"So then we go on this quest with you." Rain said.

"You guys have to go to camp first. Chiron will want to meet you, for one. And you'll need weapons, need to be claimed." Cypress said.

That should only take until campfire tonight. I said. I got my weapons right before the game, and I still managed to do well in sparring the next morning. It's all following your instincts, following your gut. And you said Percy made the gods swear to be more attentive to their kids and all that? They'll be claimed right away. It was different for me because my father's not exactly one of the gods. He's one of the older beings. But they'll be claimed right away, and we can leave tonight.

"That should work. And we can spend the day training with weapons. We'll have to tell Chiron, of course, but this will work." Cypress said.

Good. Because we're going to find my mother, and we're going to stop her from whatever it is she's been doing, whatever it is she's been up to. I said determinedly.

"Sounds like a good plan." Cypress replied.

I'm really tired. I said slowly, hands moving softly. I just about fell over. Also, I hadn't put on the seat belt. I was about to say something else when I did fall over, and ended up lying on the seat with my head on Cypress's lap.

"Are you ok, Niki?" Cypress asked. I couldn't breathe, so I reached up to my throat. "Nikita?"

I was clawing at my throat now. "Nikita! The bottle, where's the bottle?" He asked frantically. I couldn't answer, but I managed to tug on one sleeve of my jacket. Cypress understood and started searching the pockets frantically, finding the bottle in one of the inside pockets. He quickly unscrewed the cap, and poured a little in my open mouth. It wouldn't go down at first, but then it did. As soon as it was down my throat, as I could not swallow when I couldn't breathe, I stopped choking. I was able to breathe again, and I started coughing.

After coughing for a good ten minutes, I was finally able to just lay there in peace. "Are you ok Nikita?" Cypress asked quietly. I nodded. I went to sit up, but I couldn't pull myself up.

I don't want to die. I signed.

"You're not going to. We've got the bottle. And we've got your plan. It's risky, but when it comes time, we'll get you down there. We'll find a way, and we'll get you down there. It won't help if something like this happens again, but it will help a lot. You're not going to die, Nikita. I won't let you. Now, get some sleep, because you need it." Cypress told me softly. I faintly heard Rain ask something, but I was already too far gone. The blackness of sleep welcomed me.

* * *

When I woke, my eyelids felt sticky, so I just kept my eyes closed and listened to the conversation around me. "...Need to give her some nectar and ambrosia." Someone said. I either didn't know or couldn't recognize the voice.

"No. We can't." Another voice said. I tried to recall why the voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't. I was still exhausted.

"Why not? If we don't, her condition will only worsen." The first voice said.

"If we do, it'll only kill her faster. She's dying, Will, and nectar and ambrosia only speed that up." The second voice said. I faintly registered that the first voice was Will.

I heard footsteps leave the room. I didn't know if I was alone until I felt a hand brushing hair away from my forehead. Then someone pressed their lips against my forehead. "I tried not to let him know, Niki. But I couldn't just tell him not to give you ambrosia and nectar. I'm sorry." The second voice from before whispered. I realized it was Cypress. I soon drifted back to sleep.

* * *

 **Oh, I just love my characters so much…**

 **I realize that this update is a day late, and for that, I am very sorry! I'm trying my best to make sure I update on Tuesdays and Fridays, but it slips my mind sometimes.**

 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**


	8. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

* * *

When I woke again and was actually able to open my eyes, I was in the camp van, laying with my head on Cypress's lap. Rain and Adam were seated in front of us. I pulled myself up into a sitting position.

"Are you alright?" Cypress asked worriedly.

Yeah. I'm fine. I said.

"What even happened?" Adam asked.

I used my powers. And that was not something I should've done. I replied.

"But you've used them before. When we were sparring, and then at the lake." Cypress said.

Dad said the illness didn't even start showing until I got that nosebleed. I said.

"You had us all shielded from the weather at the lake in Maine." Cypress said.

That's not so much a power as it is a resistance. I spoke to Chiron about it. The upper atmosphere doesn't have weather, doesn't have that extra thing that may or may not affect it. Chiron said that I was simply behaving like the atmosphere when I did that. I said. Now, tell me about all that happened while I was out.

"I had the Stolls bring Rain and Adam to the armory. They were the first campers I saw, and they seemed to have helped you find your weapons well enough. I brought you to the infirmary, and Leah grabbed the backpack and our weapons. You were in the infirmary all day, just asleep, and I stayed there with you. The Stolls helped Rain and Adam train all day. Also, Leah had your weapons enchanted for you. They'll return to you as soon as you will it. We didn't have time to do any of ours, but yours were done." Cypress said.

Did they get claimed? I asked.

"Rain is a daughter of Aphrodite. Adam is a son of Hermes. Also, Rain can charmspeak, we've found." Cypress said.

Well, Rain, looks like you get an important job. You get to help me figure out whatever my mother's up to. I said.

"I can do that." She replied.

Are we headed straight there, or are we going a block away again? I asked.

"We're stopping a block away. Then we can do whatever you think is best. We're about fifteen minutes away, now." Cypress said.

I looked at my tattoo. It was ten forty five. We can go in tonight. Let's just hope she doesn't have someone over. I said with a shudder. Cypress put a hand gently on my arm.

* * *

When we got to the corner of the street, we got out and put on our weapons. Cypress had our backpack, while Adam had one for him and Rain. We walked down the street and stepped up onto my porch. I took the key from the hanging plant and unlocked the door. Then I slipped the key in my pocket. She was going to wonder how we got in, and probably move the key.

I told them all to be as silent as possible, as I had before told Cypress, and stepped inside.

We walked silently through the house until I stopped everyone outside the door to the living room. I could hear my mother moving around inside. I looked around the corner, and sure enough, she was in the living room. She was just sitting there, not doing anything. I motioned for them to stay, and then I stepped inside the room and she looked up. "Nikita. Back again." She said sharply.

Hello, mother. I replied, signing harshly.

"Have you finally come to your senses and come back to your dear old mother?" She asked in her sweet voice, the voice she always used to use when I was close to running away.

No, mother. I signed. That's not going to work on me anymore, remember? I'm done with listening to you. She stood and stepped toward me.

"I am your mother, and you are my daughter. You love me, just as I love you. Now go to your room, I have company coming over tonight." She told me, voice soft and sweet but almost threatening.

Take another step toward me and I will cut you. I signed. She, surprised, took a step back. I'm not 'your' anything. I'm not doing what you tell me. I pulled out my pocket knife and held it up. She took another step back, and I put my knife in my jacket.

"Go to your room. Everything will be all better in the morning." She told me.

You know what I found on my first day at Camp? I asked her. I found I'm not receptive to things like charmspeak and whatever it is you've been doing to me all my life anymore. Because you want to know what I've realized? I've realized that no one owns me. No one owns me, and I'm not going to let anyone tell me what to do ever again.

Anger flashed through her eyes. But she didn't step forward. I still had a knife, and I was still a demigod.

Now, mother, now that that's settled. What have you been up to? I asked her.

"I don't know what you mean." She replied.

Of course you know what I mean. What have you been up to? How are you involved in things beyond the mortal world? I asked her.

"I plead the fifth." She answered, voice full of hate.

Ah, but you see, that's a mortal thing. And there are ways to make you talk, ways that aren't mortal. I told her. Something like fear flashed through her eyes. I stomped against the floor with my left foot, once.

Rain stepped into the room. My mother's eyes flashed in fear, in anger, in hate. Do your work, I said.

"How are you involved in things beyond the mortal world?" She asked, making the charmspeak as thick as she could. My mother resisted a moment, but then it won.

"She was promised to him when she was born. I was to break her spirit as she grew up, and on the Winter Solstice I was to give her to him, ten days before her sixteenth birthday. He wishes to make her his wife." My mother said. I was taken aback.

"Who is he?" Rain asked, charmspeak thick.

"The Lord of the pit. Tartarus." My mother said.

"What is his plan?" Rain asked.

"He is to marry her on the Winter Solstice, and he will use her power when it reaches its strongest, on her sixteenth birthday. He will use her power, and rise from the pit to rule over all the gods." My mother said.

"How do we stop him?" Rain asked.

"There is no way to stop him from rising. Once they are married, he will be able to use her power however he wishes." My mother said.

"Sleep." Rain ordered, and my mother collapsed to the floor. Cypress and Adam entered the room.

We need to get out of this house. She said she's got company coming over tonight. I'd rather not run into him. I said.

"How do you know it's a him?" Rain asked curiously.

Because she's a prostitute and she's always got one of her whores over. I said. Then I left the room, headed toward the front door.

I got outside just as the same man Cypress and I had encountered when we went to my house before showed up. Everyone else was still in the house, as I had practically run out of there. "We meet again, girly." He said.

If you're looking for my mother, you might as well leave. She's not feeling very well. She's passed out on the floor of the living room. I told him. He was probably my mother's most frequently visiting, and I remembered him learning the ASL alphabet and a little more just to antagonize me in sign language. Which meant he would've understood the gist of what I was telling him.

"Well maybe I'll just take you then." He said.

That wouldn't be in your best interests. I told him.

"And who's going to stop me?" He asked, taking a step closer.

Certainly not the girl who you've tormented for years, the girl with a lot of pent up rage. Certainly not the girl who also happens to have a knife, and will not hesitate to do anything, in the name of self defense, should anyone ask. I signed, calmly and evenly.

"Like you could do anything. Like you actually have a knife. You're just the broken little girl we all know and love." He said. He took a step closer.

I'm not that girl anymore. I'm not broken, I'm not little, I'm not scared, and I'm not going to be that way again. I said. I'm stronger now. I'm not afraid. And I'm not alone, either.

"I don't see anyone else around here." He said, throwing his arms wide. He took another step toward me.

I stomped my foot and Cypress stepped out of the house onto the porch. It seemed that that was becoming a signal for when I needed someone.

"I could beat both of you." The man bragged.

He might not look like much, but he's strong. And he's not the only one here. I said, and Cypress tapped his knuckles on the door frame behind him. Rain and Adam stepped out onto the porch. Also, I wasn't lying about having a knife. I pulled out my pocket knife and flipped it open. He took a step back, then turned and ran. I put the pocket knife away. Then I sat on the curb and began to cry.

"Nikita?" Cypress asked. He came over and knelt down next to me. "What's wrong?" He asked softly.

He was right. I am just a scared, broken little girl. I can't do this. My dad was wrong. I'm not a survivor, and I can't make it through anything. I don't know how I've even managed to hold myself together this long. I said through the tears. I pulled the ring from my finger, the ring my dad had given to me, and threw it in the street. The throw had nothing behind it, so it only landed a few feet away. Cypress retrieved it and knelt back down next to me.

"Nikita, that's not true. None of that is true. You might be scared, but we all are. We all are because we live in an awful world full of things that want to kill us. But we get past that, just like you've done. And you're not broken, not anymore. Nikita, when metal breaks and is welded together, it becomes stronger where it's been mended. You're like that metal. You are stronger, now that you've been mended, now that you've gotten away from the bad environment you used to live in. And you are strong, and you can make it through anything. You faced your mother twice, and you faced both a dracanae and the Minotaur alone, with only a dagger. And you've survived for almost sixteen years, a huge achievement for someone with your parentage. Nikita, I've never believed in someone more than I believe in you. You can get through this, and you won't be alone, because we will help you get through this. I will help you get through this." He said, quietly enough that only I could hear him. He took my left hand and slipped the ring back onto my fourth finger. "Now c'mon. We need to get back to camp, and tell Chiron that it's time to prepare for war. Tartarus is not getting his hands on you."

Cypress stood and then helped me stand. We called a cab to get back to camp.

* * *

As soon as we were back to camp, we went running for the Big House. We ignored the questions of campers. When we got to the Big House, we went into the living room, where we found Chiron.

"Back so soon?" He asked.

Chiron, tell the campers to prepare for war. I said.

"What has happened?" Chiron asked.

Tartarus is rising. The only way to stop him is for us to hold out for just long enough. Because the only way for him to rise is if he has me. I said.

"Cypress, gather the war council." Chiron said. He nodded and ran off. "Explain."

We went to see my mother, and Rain charmspeaked her so we could figure out what it was we needed to correct. My mother apparently promised to give me up to Tartarus on the Winter Solstice ten days before my sixteenth birthday. She was supposed to break me before then. I said. I couldn't go on, and the tears were already starting to fall. Rain continued for me.

"Her mother said that he was going to... He was going to marry her on the Solstice. And then on her sixteenth birthday, when her power will be at its strongest, he will be able to use her power to rise, and to rule over the gods." Rain explained.

"When is your birthday, child?" Chiron asked gently.

January 1st. I said. I was fighting to hold back the tears.

"Then we will prepare, and we will hold out. Today is fifteenth, and we must hold out until midnight on the first. It will be a dark seventeen days, but we will make it. We must make it." Chiron said.

Cypress came back into the room and told us that the council was assembled. We went to the room with the ping-pong table, and the four of us took seats by Chiron.

"We must prepare for war. We have only to protect Camp until midnight of January 1st." Chiron announced.

"Why? What happened on their quest?" Annabeth asked. Chiron looked to me.

Tartarus himself is rising. But he can't do it without me. He's going to try to capture me and use my power to rise and to rule over all the gods. I said. Annabeth and Percy both paled considerably.

"We can't let that happen." Percy said determinedly.

No, we can't. What we know is that my mother promised to give me to him on the Winter Solstice ten days before I turned sixteen. She promised this before I was born. On that day, his plan was to... His plan was to marry me. On my sixteenth birthday, my power will be at its strongest, apparently, and he's going to use it to rise. I said.

"We won't let that happen. My cabin can plan patrols and shifts. We'll keep everyone ready for a fight, and we'll sleep in shifts. And I'll call Reyna to see how many of the Romans she and Frank can spare." Annabeth said. Then the council started to plan for war.

Chiron told me that my father had had my cabin built, and told me that it was at the edge of the forest, next to the creek. He told me that my suitcase had also been moved over there. Not wanting to stay for the war preparations, as we'd be of no help, Cypress, Rain, Adam, and I went to my cabin.

* * *

My cabin was modeled like a mini wooden lodge. The outside had a wooden porch with a railing around it and a small porch swing in the corner. Inside, above the porch, was a little loft with a ladder set into the wall to get up there. The little loft held mattress, but in the floor, so it the top was a few inches below the floor level of the loft. There was a window that looked out. The cabin held a large living room that had a fireplace against one wall, with a rug in front of it. There was a couch and two reclining chairs arranged around the fireplace. There was a small kitchenette.

There were two doors on the far wall, one that led to the large bedroom and one that led to a bathroom. The bedroom had a door that led to the bathroom also, which locked from either side. The bathroom had a shower bath with a curtain, a toilet, and a large sink with a bit of a long counter and drawers to hold things. There was a mirror above the sink, and the counter of the sink was white marble. The bedroom held a four poster king sized bed, with a canopy that shifted along with the sky, like my eyes did. I could tell because I saw a cloud drift across the fabric. There were four long pull out drawers under the bed frame, which held extra pillows, blankets, sheets, and one was empty. There was a lamp on the nightstand next to the bed. There was a small walk in closet with a dresser on one side and a rod for hanging clothes on the other. Directly across from the door was a full body mirror. The bedroom also held a vanity and stool, and on the vanity was a small makeup kit. I didn't know where it came from.

* * *

 **Where did it come from? Hmm…. It came from the magical land called Makia-Upia, where all magical make-up comes from. Just as all magic cabins come from the magical land of Cabinia!**

 **I had a long paragraph here but I decided I didn't need to have all that there. Long story short: I'm going to miss my really close friend because she has to move halfway around the world back to Egypt; Donald Trump is a fucking racist, homophobic, sexist orange cheeto puff; and I hate everyone else in politics.**

 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**


	9. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

* * *

We all sat in the living room. Rain stretched out on the couch, Adam sat in a chair, Cypress in the other, and I sat on the floor, leaning on the chair that Cypress was on. I was seated between his legs, and he was playing with my hair.

"So what are we all going to do?" Rain asked.

"Join patrols. Train. Be ready to fight. There's no way there will be no attempts to attack camp." Cypress said.

"I don't think I'd be of much help on a patrol. I'm not very good with my sword yet." Rain said.

I'll help on patrols. I said.

"Nikita, that's the worst possible idea. The whole reason we're preparing for war is to protect you." Cypress said.

I don't care. I'm not going to sit around. I'm going to help. I'm not letting anyone get hurt or potentially killed for something I can help with. Besides, patrols stay inside the borders. I said.

"All it takes is one monster, Nikita." Cypress said.

And all it takes for anyone else to die is one monster, Cypress. I'm helping, and that's the end of the story. I said. He was quiet.

"So, what are we all going to right now, at the moment?" Rain asked, a bit loudly.

I have no idea. I said.

"Rain, bring your camera over here." Cypress said. Rain stood and pulled one of those old cameras that printed photos after you took them from her pocket. She walked over and handed it to Cypress. "Sit forward for a moment, Niki."

Why? I asked, sitting forward. Rain laughed.

"He did your hair. It's really pretty, too. Cypress, where did you learn to do hair like that?" Rain asked as Cypress took a picture. When it came out of the camera, he reached around to hand it to me.

"My little sister has really long hair. Well, she's not actually much younger than I am, but she can't do her own hair very well. So she made me learn to do it. Clovis is always asleep, pretty much, and Aron's going to college in New Rome." Cypress said. I studied the photo.

My hair had two small braids that started on the sides and merged together at the middle to continue down, and there was a larger French braid below that.

"You should bring your sister over here. I want to meet her. Some of mine are airheads, especially Drew, or so I thought at first until she told me about hating another of our sisters for dying and leaving her. But most of them are nice." Rain said, taking the camera back from Cypress.

"Fine. But none of you can come to my cabin with me. It's even more dangerous than the Ares cabin." He said. He swung his legs over the arm of the chair and got off that way, so I wouldn't have to move.

"How is your cabin dangerous?" Adam asked.

"At least with the Ares cabin you can learn where the traps and everything are. But if you go to my cabin, and you're not a child of Hypnos, you'll fall asleep." Cypress said. Adam gave him a questioning glance. "You fall asleep and you might never wake up."

You brought me there. I signed.

"You never sleep. You were fine." Cypress said.

"Well, go get her. I want to meet your sister. For me and Adam, we have a ton of siblings. But you have one sister, and I want to meet her." Rain urged. She practically pushed him out the door, and he left, laughing. Rain returned to the couch. I put the photo in my jacket pocket.

"What time is it?" Adam asked. I looked at my tattoo.

It's just about ten. You guys will have to go back to your cabins soon for lights out. I said.

"Or we could stay and sleep over in your cabin with you. It's probably best for us to protect you anyways, after all, there is someone trying to kidnap you." Rain said.

I'm fine with that. We've got a couch and two chairs. And the loft. You've already made yourselves at home, anyhow. I replied, and Rain laughed.

Cypress soon came back with his sister. When Rain saw her, she jumped up from her place on the couch. "Lily?" Rain asked.

"Rain? Is that really you?" Cypress's sister asked. Rain went over and hugged her.

"Lily, you know Rain?" Cypress asked her.

"She was my best friend before you and Adam." Rain said. "We grew up together for a few years. And then my parents left me in the town, and I never saw her again. How were things after they left me?"

"They acted like they'd never had a child. Refused to mention you, acted as though you never existed. Soon they moved away. I guess your mother didn't want you because you weren't actually her child. I was claimed a little while after. Sometimes I still visit. No one knows what happened to you." Lily explained.

"A woman adopted me pretty soon after. She died a couple years ago. Left me her house, where I was living with Adam. Found out Adam and I were demigods when monsters attacked Cypress and Nikita, who were visiting his mother." Rain said.

Lights out is in twenty minutes, so if you're staying here, you might want to go get changed. I announced, looking down at my wrist. But then again, don't listen to me, because I didn't exactly follow lights out. This is my third night at camp, and for the first two I slept on the beach.

"Alright, well, Lily, I'll catch up with you tomorrow. I'm staying the night here. I don't know about Cypress or Adam." Rain said. She walked out with Lily, to catch up a little more as they went back to their cabins.

You boys are welcome to stay the night if you'd like. I said.

"I've got some pajamas left in the backpack." Cypress said. I picked it up from where it had been tossed on the floor and took my book and my clothes from inside. The remaining clothes and drachmae were Cypress's. I went into my bedroom so I could change.

I set the book on the nightstand. I changed into the pajamas Rain had given me, and threw all the dirty clothes in a pile in the corner. I put my jacket on the hook on the back of the door. The bottle, my wallet, and the pocket knife were still inside, as well as the photo of my hair. I put my weapons belt on the hook on the side of the dresser.

Then I went back into the living room and sat on a chair. Adam was already changed, he had gone into the bathroom with his and Rain's backpack. Cypress had also gotten changed in the time I had spent in my bedroom. Rain soon got back, changed into pajamas and carrying her weapons.

Alright, who's sleeping where? I asked.

"I'm taking the couch." Adam said.

"I'll take a chair, and Cypress can have the other chair." Rain said. "Good plan. Now, I'm actually tired, so I'm going to go to sleep. Do you have any extra blankets?"

Yeah. Right side of the bed. One drawer is empty, the other's got blankets. I told her. I followed her into the bedroom, and showed her. She grabbed three blankets, one for each of them.

Night. I said as she left my bedroom.

"Night." She replied.

I went to my bed and layed down. I pulled a blanket over myself, not wanting to go under the comforter, instead opting to lay on top of it. I turned on the lamp, which wasn't too bright, but bright enough to read by. I picked up my book.

As I flipped through the pages, looking for something random to read, something fell out. I picked it up. It was a photograph, just like the one from Rain's camera. Except instead of my hair, it was of me and Cypress, both asleep on the chair at Rain's house. In the photo, I had my head on Cypress's chest. Our legs were tangled together, and he had an arm over me. We were both smiling in our sleep. I turned the photo over, and there was writing on the back.

You two are so cute together. It's so obvious that you two like each other, but the both of you are so oblivious.

\- Rain

I tucked the photo into the pocket of my jacket, with the other photo, the one of my hair. I thought about what Rain had written. Did Cypress really like me? Did I even like him like that? I mean, he was my first friend. But did I really like him? I didn't know, and I decided to stop trying to think about it.

* * *

I read for a while. It was one a.m. when I decided to get up and take a shower. I went into the bathroom and found a towel in the little closet I hadn't noticed before. I placed the towel on the bar by the shower, then started the shower.

I took a little bit of a long shower, only getting out when the water started to turn cold. I wrung out my hair as much as I could and stepped out of the shower. I wrapped my towel around myself, tucking it into the top so I didn't have to hold it up. I went over to the sink and wiped off part of the mirror, and frowned.

My eyes were flashing different colors. Lightening black with golden flecks for stars to a weird, pulsating green light and back again. It kind of looked odd, as it was only the iris of my eyes that matched the sky.

I was so busy watching the ways my eyes flashed between colors that I didn't hear as someone came in the bathroom. "Sorry! I didn't realize you were in here, Niki." Cypress said hurriedly. I didn't pay him any attention. I was trying to figure out the source of the green light. "Niki?"

Get your weapons. Wake Adam and Rain. Something's happening outside. I signed quickly in the mirror. I turned to him, and he saw the way my eyes were flashing between colors. He went back into the main part of the cabin. I went into my room and was quick to throw on a tank top, T-shirt, skinny jeans, and my jacket. I quickly slipped on my boots and strapped my weapons belt on. Then I went into the living room, where everyone else was changed and ready. We went outside together.

The sky outside was indeed flashing between it's natural color and a pulsating green light. The light was coming from past the border. We rushed toward the border of the camp. We met up with the current patrol team, which Annabeth was leading as they ran towards that part of the border.

"What's going on?" Rain asked her as we ran.

"We have no idea." She replied.

When we got to where the light was coming from, there was nothing there except for a small box that was emitting the light.

"What do you think it's supposed to do?" Cypress asked.

"Break the border?" Annabeth guessed.

Shouldn't the fleece hold the border? I asked. Annabeth's eyes widened.

"The fleece. No one's guarding it." She said slowly.

We'll go. Stay here. This might or might not be a diversion. Guard here with your patrol. I said. Then I turned and ran.

* * *

Apparently I ran much faster than Cypress, Rain, or Adam, because I made it there long before them. There was no one there, but I drew my swords and kept my guard up.

A minute after I got there, a dracaena showed up. She hissed at me, but didn't attempt to pass through the border. She just stood there. Another minute and I realized why. The flashing light went blindingly bright for moment, then stopped completely. A moment after that, the dracanae slithered right past the border, like there was nothing there.

She tried to attack me with her sword, but I easily blocked it. We battled for a few minutes before more monsters showed up. My friends handy showed up, so I guessed they were caught up with other monsters.

I found myself hard pressed to defend myself when more monsters showed up, but my friends showed up soon. We fought for two hours, at least, and managed to hold our own.

"Annabeth needs to send some people over here. I don't know how much longer four people can hold up against this many monsters." Cypress said as we alternately struck at a hellhound. I sheathed my sword.

Don't worry. We can do this. None of us are going anywhere. I signed quickly before again drawing my sword and turning to another monster and stabbing it in the back.

Then something hit me in the back of the head. The last thing I heard was Cypress's scream, and the last thing I saw before falling unconscious was the look of pure horror on his face as I was taken away.

* * *

I woke in a bed in a room devoid of anything except said bed. The room was lit only through an open window with red light, and the air itself felt as though it was trying to kill me. I didn't need any reassurance to know that I was in Tartarus. I'd read my book a million times over, and I had all but memorized it word for word.

I stood from the bed, and realized that I still had everything on me. My weapons were all there. I went to the door of the room, and tried opening it. It was locked. There was a keyhole on this side, and likely a little knob on the other side. I could try and pick the lock later.

I went to the window and looked out. It was a long drop, it looked like I was at least four stories up. I wasn't likely going to be getting out that way. I went back to the door and knelt down. I held out my hand, and concentrated. In my hand appeared a hair pin made of light, which I then used to pick the lock. As soon as I heard the lock click, I found I felt dizzy. I knew that soon I wouldn't be able to breathe, and pulled out the bottle from my jacket. I was quick to take a sip before the effects of using my powers could go any farther.

I stood back up, the lock pick gone, and put the dagger from my boot into my sleeve, easily accessible. I quietly opened the door. All those years of making absolutely no noise were really helpful, now. I stepped outside the room.

I was in a long hallway, full of doors. There was no one in sight. I was quiet as I walked down the hall. I was going to go ahead and guess that none of the side doors would aid me in my exit. I went to the door at the end of the hall.

I opened the door, and there stood a man. I stepped back quickly as he laughed at me. "Is my little fiancée trying to escape?" He asked me. I kept stepping back. "You won't be able to get out, you know."

I stopped moving back when I realized he was not going to move toward me. He was tall, with black irises and black hair. He had a lot of muscles, and looked like he could crush a car. I knew this wasn't his usual physical form, and I had no idea why he decided to look this.

"You wonder why I look like this?" He asked. He took a step forward, and I took three back. "My usual physical form, you'd be more scared than you are now. The Percy boy dropped his sword in fear when he saw me. And I hear he just doesn't do that. The only reason he and that Annabeth girl got away was because I was too preoccupied with myself. And Iapetus and Damasen tried to fight me off. Their attempt was pitiful. I could have destroyed those two demigods had I really wanted to, but they were nothing to me. Not really. After all, I need the child of a primordial to rise, not some demigods."

After he said that, I made a stupid mistake. I insulted him. Are you sure you're just not as powerful as you claim to be? I asked him. He was in front of me in the blink of an eye, and he grabbed my shoulders.

"You'll not speak to me that way. This is your warning. If it happens again, you'll regret it. And so will your camp. They're still fighting hard to protect their borders." He warned. Then he was back in the doorway. "Soon, we are married. I'd rest if I were you. You'll need it, especially when I rise. Without rest, you might not live through it."

What? I asked.

"You've been out a little while, dear. The Winter Solstice is in three days." He said. The door closed and he was gone.

* * *

 **Well, way to treat your bride-to-be, jerk.**

 **So, what is up, my peeps? Quick notice: I've got a nine day trip to Maine coming up, effective the thirteenth, and I don't know what day we're coming back, exactly. So, for that time, I will most likely be unable to update, seeing as I'm getting used to my new phone still (got it last night, actually, but it's hard to get used to an iPhone when I've used android for the past five years), and I can't exactly bring my laptop with me. I do write from my phone, most times, and edit on my laptop, and while you can post from the phone, I just don't know how well I'll be able to keep up, though I'll try my best and post all missing chapters as soon as possible. Anyway, just wanted to let you know all that. *snaps and does thumbs up***

 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**


	10. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

* * *

I started opening the doors along the hall, frantically searching for something to escape with. Most of the rooms were empty, but I found a bunch of sheets in one. I brought the sheets back to the room I had woken in, and placed then behind the bed, out of sight of the door. Then I continued my search. Nothing.

I went back to the room I had woken in and started to tie the sheets together, tight as I could. It took me a couple hours to make sure it was really tight, and would hold my weight. I dragged the bed over to the window, and tied the end of the rope to the post. Then I pushed the rest of the rope out of the window. I didn't know what I was going to do when I made it to the ground, or whether I'd even make it to the ground.

The rope did not reach the ground. After all, it was a pile of sheets, and it was a four story drop. I was still about a story up when it ended. Hanging from the very end by my hands, I took a chance. I dropped to the ground silently, and rolled. It jarred my ankles a little, but for the most part, I was fine.

Because everything seemed to be gravitating toward the palace, I guessed it was right at the center. So I just picked a random direction that was away, and went running.

My tattoo helped me to know what time it was, and how long I'd been running. After all, if I could just last last the Winter Solstice, he couldn't marry me, and he couldn't rise.

* * *

I ran for about three hours, often stopping and hiding when I saw monsters. I could see them reforming in the ground, and I would do my best to stop that from happening, but kept running for the most part. After three hours, though, I could quite keep running. I went slower, walking, and that lasted me another three hours.

After the six hours of travelling away, I needed to stop, if only for a short rest. I was surprised I had lasted that long, because the air was poison. I found a small cave, checked for monsters, and sat down inside. I reached into my pocket to grab the bottle my father had given to me, as it was my replacement for ambrosia and nectar and could help keep me moving. As I felt for the bottle, I felt the edge of the photographs. I pulled them along with the bottle. After taking a few sips and replacing the bottle in my pocket, I stared at the photos.

And so it went. I would travel for as many hours as I could handle, stop to rest in some secluded spot, take a couple sips from my never emptying bottle, and take a few minutes to look at my photos. I might have gotten the physical strength from the bottle, but I got the mental strength to keep going from the photos, from the very real truth of what would happen to my friends if Tartarus were to rise.

* * *

On the third day, the day before the Winter Solstice, it was so much harder not to run into monsters, all seemingly pulled toward the heart of Tartarus, toward the fortress. Now, were they his wedding guests or his guards?

On the Winter Solstice, it was five a.m. when I needed to stop again. I found a cave and sat down in the darkest corner. My clothing was all black, which was helpful, but my white hair could have given me away.

When whatever or whoever it was entered, I took in a breath quickly. He heard, and looked straight at me. I stayed in the corner, not knowing whether to believe it was really him, it was really Cypress.

"Nikita?" He asked softly. His voice was hoarse, and he looked haggard. His clothes were covered in rips, all except his jacket, which miraculously remained unscathed.

Cypress? I answered back.

"Is it really you, or are you just another monster disguised as her? Do you even actually know ASL?" He asked. What? Monsters had been going around disguised as me?

It's really me. Ask me something. Anything. I said.

"How did we meet?" He asked.

You snuck up to the flag during the game. I turned around and you had a hand on the flag. You grinned and drew a sword. You managed to knock away my swords and deflect my dagger, then went running off with the flag. I grabbed my weapons and chased you. Close to the boundary, I tackled you to the ground. I managed to get the flag away from you, and one of my teammates brought it back. But you ended up on top of me, and I was terrified. You asked if I was alright after you helped me up, but I didn't want to talk about it. You know why now, though. I said.

"Thank gods it's actually you." He said. "I'll be right back." He left the cave for a moment, and when he came back, Rain and Adam were with him. They were just as haggard as him, though their clothes seemed to have more rips and tears.

How did you all get here? I asked incredulously.

"With a little help from the gods. Thanatos helped us getting through the Doors of Death. None of the gods want Tartarus to rise, and it was the least they could do." Rain said. She sat on one side of me, Cypress the other, and Adam on the other side of Rain.

What are we going to do now? I asked softly.

"The gods gave us a way to get back up. We've just got to get to where we came down, so we don't accidentally end up somewhere in the fields of punishment or the River Lethe. The heart of this place would work, too, but no one's going there." Adam said.

Do you all need to rest? I've been running for as long as I can take it, stopping for a few minutes to drink from my bottle, and then going. The time I can go keeps getting shorter and shorter. I just want to be away from that fortress, away from him. I said, shuddering.

"What happened after they took you?" Rain asked softly.

I woke in a room, with only a bed in it. There was a window, and I found I was at least four stories up. The door was locked, but I used my power to create a little hair pin and picked it. There was a long hallway. I didn't open any doors, just went to the one on the end. I opened the door at the end, and... And he was standing right there. He asked if I was trying to escape, told me there was no way out. Also told me the form he had taken, looking like a mortal man, was so I wasn't scared. Like that helped. I insulted him, he warned me never to do it again or I'd regret it. I learned I'd been out for a long while, that the Solstice was in three days. Then he left. I searched the rooms in the hall, and all were empty, except some sheets in one. Made a rope, moved the bed to the window, tied the rope on, and went straight out the window. Had to fall about a story after the rope ran out. But it's seemed almost... Too easy to escape. I said.

There was a laugh. "Of course it was too easy. You really think I'm that stupid?" It was Tartarus's voice. He stepped into the entrance of the cave.

Kind of? I said slowly. Even though he hadn't moved, it felt like he had slapped me. I could feel my cheek bruising.

"I told you, you are not to speak to your fiancé like that." He admonished. Cypress set a comforting hand on my knee. "Now, it is almost time for our wedding. I see you've got some special guests. They can stay with you in your temporary room until it is time to get ready." He said. He snapped his fingers and we weren't in the cave anymore. We were in a completely empty room. There was a window, and I found we were again four stories up. The door was locked, but there was no keyhole to pick. And all of our weapons were gone.

I sat down in the center of the room. They sat down with me.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Rain asked.

I don't know. I said.

"Did he take the pearls?" Cypress asked. Adam checked his pockets.

"He took them." Adam replied.

"What time is it?" Rain asked.

Cypress took my wrist and and looked at my tattoo. "It's six." He told her. He didn't let go of my wrist, instead lacing his fingers with mine. I curled my fingers into his for a moment before pulling my hand away to sign, and a tear fell down my cheek.

I just don't know what to do. I said. Then I returned my hand to his.

"Hey, we'll figure something out." Cypress said, trying to comfort me. It didn't help much.

Rain pulled out her camera, which she still had, and took a photo of Cypress and I's interlaced hands. She set it aside and took a picture of the two of us sitting there. I don't think Cypress noticed, and I don't think she realized I noticed, either. She set the second photo aside and moved closer so that she could take a photo of the four of us. We all tried to smile, but I don't think it turned out very well. She set the third photo on top of the other two and handed them to me. I slipped them in my pocket. I still have the other two. I told her. The corners of her lips turned up, but I think that that was the most any of us could manage at this point.

* * *

We all sat in silence for awhile. It was six thirty when Tartarus came to get me. He was in the middle of threatening my friends should I not follow him when I got up and walked out of the room. I wasn't going to endanger my friends.

He brought me to a room that held a full body mirror, a clothing rack, and a simple white dress. He told me to get changed, and then to exit the room at seven. He told me my friends would be hurt should I fail to do so. He left and closed the door behind him.

The dress was beautiful, even with all that it meant. It was long, reaching just above the floor in the back but the middle of my calves in the front. It was all silk, and it was strapless. I found a hairbrush i hadn't seen before and brushed my hair out. Then i threw my hair up in a messy bun with the one hair tie I had. After I put my hair up, I went through the pockets of my jacket. The photos I placed in one of my boots. I placed the Lotus Cash Card in my other boot. I wasn't going to be able to fit my wallet anywhere, and I could find more cash and even a new wallet. I out the bottle and my pocket knife into my bra. I folded my jacket over my arm and kicked the dirty clothes into the corner. They were way past even being able to wash them.

* * *

Seven came soon. When I exited the room, I gasped, as did the person standing by the door. It was Cypress. Tartarus had made him change into a tuxedo. He started to lead me down the hall.

"I'm supposed to walk you down the aisle." Cypress said.

You are nothing like my father. I said. I have an idea on how to get us out of this. You need to do whatever I tell you to do, Cypress.

"Alright." He said. I slipped the Lotus Cash Card from my boot and handed it to him. I also gave him the three photos from my boot. I left the bottle and pocket knife in my bra. "What are these for?"

Hold them for me. Stick them in a pocket or something. I told him. I don't want them lost. Then I handed him my jacket, which he folded over his arm.

I didn't say anything when he read what Rain had written in the back of the photo of us sleeping on the chair. Neither did he, but he tucked the photos away into the tux. We soon stopped in front of a closed double door.

"You ready for this?" He asked me.

Shut up, Cy. I said solemnly.

"Love you too, Nikki." He replied. I took a deep breath and we exited the fortress to the court head outside. There was a very large crowd of monsters. There was a central aisle cleared, and it was strewn with flower petals. Rain was standing beside the slightly raised stage, wearing a red dress. The color suited her well. Adam was beside her, in a tux like Cypress. Tartarus was waiting on the slightly raised stage, in front of an arch of black stone and lava flowing along it. I saw that Rain held her camera in her hands. She wouldn't part with it. I noticed that she took a picture of us as we walked slowly down the aisle. Taking pictures seemed to calm her. Each time a photo came out, she tucked it into her bra.

We reached the end of the aisle. I stepped up onto the stage and Cypress took a place next to Adam. Tartarus snapped his fingers, and an empousa stepped up to stand in front of the arch, in the place a priest would stand.

"We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of our Lord Tartarus, and the girl whose power will allow him to rise from here, Nikita Caliya Beckett." She started. Tartarus smiled at me and I shuddered. "Now, do you, Lord Tartarus, take Nikita Caliya Beckett as your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." He said with a grin. The look in his eyes told me I better say I do on my turn or else.

"Do you, Nikita Caliya Beckett, take Lord Tartarus as your lawfully wedded husband?" The empousa asked with obvious disgust in her voice. The look on his face told me if I said anything other than what he wanted me to say, he'd kill my friends.

I do, I signed.

"I now pronounce you Lord and wife." She said. He took my hand and slid a ring onto my left hand. It was a black band, made of the same stone as the arch.

I looked up from the spot on the ground I'd been staring at. I just have one thing I'd like to say. I signed. Tartarus set his murderous gaze on me.

You're not keeping them here. I told him. I snapped my fingers, and didn't even have to look back to see the bubbles of golden light appear around my friends. They slowly started to drift upwards. Tartarus took a step forward, but I had my pocket knife out in a flash. I had it resting in the fabric of my dress, aimed at my heart. I didn't have to say anything for him to understand what I meant. He stepped back.

"You wouldn't harm yourself like that. You wouldn't really kill yourself." He said. He stepped forward.

I didn't move, pressing the knife into my skin. A drop of blood appeared on the white of the dress. He stepped back. We both knew there's no way for me to make it out of this alive, so I had nothing to lose.

The bubbles covered any noise made by my friends, so though I saw them getting the sides and their mouths moving, I did not hear it. I looked up at Cypress and locked eyes with him just as their bubbles reached the ceiling. I mouthed 'I'm sorry'. I took a deep breath. And then I plunged the knife into my chest.

* * *

 **And here we have what is called a cliffhanger. A point in a story that leaves you to wonder until the story continues.**

 **(Sorry this one came a day late!)**

 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**


	11. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

* * *

I didn't feel any pain. And it was all more of a far off out of body experience, where all the sound is muffled and distant. The moment the knife entered, I was watching from some point above. I watched as my body fell to the ground, as Tartarus gaped, as Cypress screamed and screamed, as Rain cried and Adam sat there shocked as his bubble went through the ceiling. I watched as my friends got away and the monsters went into a frenzy. And I watched as my body erupted into pure, bright golden light, leaving nothing behind, not even the knife, and killing some monsters in the vicinity. I closed my eyes at the light.

I opened my eyes to find myself in the afterlife. I saw the River Styx, and I spotted Charon in his boat nearby. I knew that to get to the afterlife, I would have to pay Charon to give me a ride across the river. The Styx would tear my soul apart as a dead person.

"This ride's not for you, Missy." Charon told me as I neared. "If you'll look that way, you'll see your exit." He told me politely. I looked in the direction he pointed and saw a larger set of doors. I could see Thanatos standing near to them.

Why are you helping me? I asked him.

"You saved me my job. Had you let the creature of the pit rise, I would have been jobless. Chaos would have ruled, and that certainly would mean the dead would not stay dead as they are supposed to, as you are not going to do." Charon told me. "Now hurry, Missy, or you'll miss your exit." I thanked him and ran along the beach toward the doors, not even taking time to wonder how he knew ASL. He was very old, he must've picked it up somewhere.

When I reached the doors, Thanatos spoke. "You have done much for the gods. In return, they give you a second chance for life. Do not waste it." He told me. I stepped through the doors.

* * *

When I stepped out of the doors, I was at camp. There were many campers gathered around. They were gathered around Cypress, Rain, and Adam. And my body. Cypress was cradling my dead body to his chest, weeping. Rain and Adam were on one side of him, also crying. I guess when my body burst into gold light, it came here with them. The doors disappeared behind me, but none of the campers seemed to see them or me. Except Nico, and an African American girl. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see them watching me.

I slowly made my way over and knelt beside Cypress. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do now, so I leaned my head on Cypress's shoulder. Nico and the girl came over, and Nico knelt beside me, the girl in front of me. My friends didn't look up. "You just have to touch your body." Nico said softly. At that, Cypress did look up, but Nico wasn't looking at him, and neither was the girl. They were looking beside him, at me. I placed my hand on my body's forehead. There was a brilliant flash of light, and I closed my eyes.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my body. I sat up from where I was on the ground with Cypress cradling my body. Everyone was too stunned to speak. I turned to Nico and the girl. Thank you. I signed. I stood, my friends joining me.

"Niki? How-" Cypress started.

Not now. I hear we still have monsters to defeat. And he'll be after you three. I said. Now, how do I go about getting my weapons back?

"Just concentrate." Cypress said. I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them, I was wearing my weapons belt and my dagger was in my boot. It was a shame about the pocket knife, but it seemed to have been destroyed.

Find some weapons, guys. I told them. A moment later, their weapons appeared on them. Guess they found a chance to enchant them.

Nico, can you get everyone ready? There's going to be a lot more monsters, and we're going to need all the help we can get. I asked. Adam quietly translated for him. Nico nodded and ran off. Well, friends, let's go fight.

* * *

We made our way to the fleece. There were campers all over the border, fighting, but I wanted to help here. Also, this was the closest to where we had been. We joined the fight, and the campers fought with a renewed strength when they saw us.

With a start, I realized I was still in my bloodstained wedding dress. How fitting. The wife of their Lord would kill them all. Every single last one of them until they left my friends and my home alone.

I found myself in combat with the empousa that had stood in as a priest. She had changed from her formal wear into a cheerleader's outfit. The nametag read Kelli. "You live?" She hissed.

Yeah. I told her, momentarily sheathing one sword. But you won't. When you get down there, tell your Lord that I'd like a divorce. I told her. I stabbed her through the gut and she exploded into golden dust.

"What happened? How are you- How are you alive?" Cypress asked. He had a broken look on his face as we battled a hellhound, as if he thought I would disappear at any moment.

We'll talk later. Just fight right now. I signed, before drawing my second sword. He nodded and the hellhound exploded into golden dust.

* * *

Sometime hours later, we moved out of the way so others could take our place holding the line. We were exhausted and needed to rest or we wouldn't be able to properly protect camp.

My friends and I gathered in my cabin. They had all changed, but I refused to change. When they asked why, I gave them two reasons. One, it seemed to inspire some fear in the monsters. Like, hey, I killed myself and rose again and I defied your Lord. Two, it wasn't over yet, and I wasn't going to even let myself feel like any part of it was until it actually was.

"Nikita, you have to tell us how- how all this happened." Rain commanded, but her voice broke. She was sitting on the couch, Adam with her. Cypress was in a chair and I was sitting with him, in his lap.

Well, I sent you guys up. I knew I had to get you guys out of there. And then, I didn't feel any pain. It was all like a distant out of body experience. I watched as my body fell, and I saw all of your reactions. And then... My body like burst into a bright golden light. Nothing was left, the knife was destroyed, and some monsters were killed. When I next opened my eyes, I was in the afterlife. I knew I was supposed to get Charon to give me a ride over the Styx. But when I went up to him, he was really polite about it too, he told me that's not where I needed to go. He pointed over at a spot on the beach, and there were the doors of death. And Thanatos. I went over and Thanatos told me I'd done so much for the gods that they were giving me a second chance at life. I went through, and then I was at camp. I saw all you guys, and I saw my body. I don't know how it got up here. Nobody could see me. Nobody except Nico and that girl. I explained.

"Hazel." Cypress clarified. "Nico's Roman sister."

So when I went over and I sat next to you guys, I sat next to you Cypress. I didn't know what to do. So I leaned on you, Cypress. Then Nico and Hazel came over, and Nico told me I just needed to touch my body. So I touched my forehead, and then there was that light and then I was alive again. I said.

"And somewhere in there, your hair turned to a bright gold color." Rain said.

What? I asked.

"Your hair is a different color. It's not white anymore." Cypress said, playing with a strand that had come loose from the bun.

"Here." Rain said. She stood from the couch and came over to me. She handed me a plastic bag with a bunch of photos in it. "I didn't mean to take so many horrible pictures, but it calms me." I took the bag from her.

I guessed when I saw you had your camera and kept taking pictures in the courtyard. I said.

"I put the three you gave me and the card in there, too." Cypress said.

I took the pile of photos out and started to look through them. The top three were the ones I had given to Cypress. Then were the ones Rain had taken.

The first couple were the landscape of Tartarus and a couple of them travelling to rescue me. Then there was the one of Cypress and I's interlaced hands, from when she thought we weren't looking. Then the two of us. Then the one she had taken of all four of us. We all looked tired and defeated, but there was some hope in each of our eyes.

There was one of Rain's dress, and one of Adam in his tux. One Adam must have taken of her, because it showed her in the dress. There was one Rain had taken of the two of them in a hall. Then when Cypress had to walk with me down the aisle. I looked absolutely beautiful in the dress, even with the dirt on my face and bruise on my cheek. Then one of me standing on the stage with Tartarus.

Another of me holding the knife to my chest, taken from a little higher, and through a golden light. And another of the moment when I shoved the knife into my chest, when there was blood all over, taken through the bubble. Another of when my body hit the floor. One of my body glowing very bright, very golden, just before it disappeared in that flash of light. There was a photo of Adam and Cypress in their bubbles, Cypress breaking down and Adam too shocked to move. There was one of Rain, but the camera pointed down at her legs in the red dress.

Then there was the moment that they rose all the way to camp, and campers were staring at them. Then one of my body appearing, the light fading away. Then Cypress was on his knees at my side, holding my body, tears streaming down his face. Then one of Adam next to him. Another, where Adam had taken a picture of Rain crying. Then one was taken from an angle facing my body and Cypress's side. The blood stain was bright against the red of the dress. And it was blurry, but you could faintly see my spirit sitting next to Cypress, my head on his shoulder. Then I was sitting up, turned to Nico.

Another of me standing, weapons at my sides, looking strong and confident even though I had just risen from the dead. And the next picture was of me, fighting monsters. I looked deadly and graceful at the same time in the that photo.

Behind all those photos were two others, of a happier time. It was one of when he had landed and I had landed sitting in his lap. And then the last was of when he had fallen and taken me down with him, one of him on top of me and smirking at me, and you could literally see the amused/annoyed look in my eyes.

Thirty-four photos in all. I tucked the photos back into the plastic bag and closed it. I got up and put the plastic bag on the nightstand in my bedroom. Then I went back out to the living room and sat on the chair with Cypress, again in his lap, because the chair wasn't very large.

"We should all rest." Rain said.

That's fine by me. We've got the chairs, the couch, and the loft's got a mattress. I replied.

"I'm gonna stay on the couch." Rain said. Adam nodded. He didn't want to move, either.

I'm going to sleep up in the loft. Or, try to, at least. I said. I removed myself from the chair and went up the ladder rings built into the wall. Up on the loft, the top of the mattress was a few inches below the floor. I arranged the pillows on the side I planned to sleep on and pulled a blanket over myself. A few minutes later, I felt Cypress laying down beside me. I didn't say anything, just laid there until I fell asleep.

* * *

I was the second to wake. When I went down from the loft, I found that Rain was up, sitting on one of the chairs, staring at the wall. Hey. I said.

"Hi." She replied.

What do you think about helping me make pancakes? I think there's stuff in the cabinet, and camp's breakfast is just go to the mess hall when you get a chance until this is over. I said. She got up and followed me to the kitchenette that was across from the fireplace.

We woke the boys after making the pancakes. Well, woke is a mild term for it. More like we dumped cold water from the bathroom on them. Got them both jumping up and spluttering.

After we had all eaten, and the boys dried off, we strapped on our weapons and went out to join the fight. It seemed that the spot we always went to help at was half blood hill, where Thalia's tree and the goodness fleece resided. Peleus helped, too, when they came too close to the tree that the purple dragon protected.

We fought all day, forgoing lunch when others switched out to rest and eat. All four of us had been down there, we had seen him, we had suffered because of him. None of us was going to stop until we absolutely needed to.

We did have to stop sometime around dinner. We moved aside for other campers to join in, and then went to the mess hall for dinner. When I sacrificed a part of my meal, I sacrificed some to my father; and some to Thanatos, a silent thanks for his help.

* * *

The following days all followed the same schedule. Get up in the morning, fight as long as I possibly could, eat, go to my cabin and rest until the next morning. I believed we might make it through this, but I also knew that something was going to happen on my birthday. I knew that he would've had something up his sleeve. There was no way something was just not going to happen, and the monsters weren't going to stop coming unless he got what he wanted. Which was my friends, and me, if he knew I had come back to life.

* * *

The morning of my birthday, I didn't eat. I didn't wait for anyone else to get up. I just strapped on my weapons and went to fight. My friends joined me half an hour later.

It was noon when something changed. The monsters attacked with a renewed force, and even more campers had to join the fight to hold them at bay. Then I began to glow.

I didn't know what was happening, but my body was emitting a golden light, like that of my weapons. Not like the glow when I died, no, it was the glow of my power. I tried to stop it, but it was like someone else was using my powers. As the minute grew longer, I found I was frozen in place, though no monster went to harm me. Then I couldn't breathe and my entire body erupted in pain. I fell to the ground, screaming. Then a path cleared through the monsters, and Tartarus was there, laughing in his 'non-scary' mortal form.

"I told you that you should rest. I warned you that you might not make it through my rising." He said with a laugh. Cypress tried to get to me, but Tartarus waved his hand and Cypress went flying, landing twenty feet away. Campers circled around him to protect him while he recovered, and Rain and Adam got new looks of anger in their eyes.

Then I saw Lily. She was really angry at him for hurting her brother, and the look in her eyes said she would kill them all.

* * *

 **Will Lily kill them all? Or will Nikita? Who wants to kill them all? I know I do.**

 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**

* * *

 **So, I will be in Maine for nine days, I'm leaving on Friday. I'll try to post from my phone if I have the chance, but I'm going to be visiting family that I haven't seen (except for like twice a year for a day each visit) for the past couple years, so any updates may have to wait until I get home. In the event I don't post while I'm gone, I'll make sure to post a chapter or two the moment I can when I get back, I promise!**


	12. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

* * *

Chapter Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics to Spectrum by Florence + The Machine. Florence + The Machine own the lyrics to Spectrum.

* * *

The pain faded after a minute, and I was able to stand again. My strength was slowly returning, but I couldn't do much but stand there. Blood trickled from my nose onto the already ruined dress I still wore. At this point, it was covered in dirt and ripped as well as the blood from more than just the injury of stabbing myself. "I see you still wear the dress. Now, why would that be?" Tartarus mused.

Because it's a symbol of my strength. I killed myself and rose again. Nothing will stop me. Not even you. I signed. My weapons were in their sheathes, leaving my hands free.

He laughed as I stumbled. "The weak little girl thinks she is strong? You are nothing, dear." He said. That was the wrong thing for him to say.

This weak little girl should have died in infancy. This weak little girl should have died long before now. I said. The fighting still went on around me, but the monsters seemed to be staying back with Tartarus, and some campers watched.

"So you were lucky enough to live past your infancy. It happens, sometimes, even with people with fatal illnesses. You are still weak." He said offhandedly, like he had better places to be.

A weak little girl would not have survived until now. Not with my life. Not with years of abuse from her mother and countless men. Not with years of being raped and beaten. A weak little girl would not still be sane or without problems, either. A weak little girl would not be standing here right now. A weak little girl would not have helped with this fight. A weak little girl would have run at the first sign of trouble, and died of fear during this whole situation. I said, my hand movements getting sharper and harsher.

"All that you say does not help your case. Inside, you are still a weak little girl who needs others to protect her. Isn't that why you spend every moment with your stupid little friends? Isn't that why you spend every moment with that idiot boy?" He asked. That was the absolute wrong thing for him to say.

I killed myself for my friends! You are not going to insult them! I will kill you! I signed, hands flying. A bolt of pure light, different than any I'd made before, shot out and hit him squarely in the chest. He actually staggered back a step.

"That will not do much to me. I am able to use your power." He said. My response was another bolt. Except this time, it was one of darkness. He might be able to use my power, but I could use his, too.

You really thought I was so stupid that I would not figure it out? This marriage works both ways, dear. I signed, mocking him. I can use your powers just as much as you can use mine. He stepped back in surprise.

"You are weak from my rising. You cannot do much." He said.

No. I'm not. I said. Another bolt, this one both of darkness and light shot out. He staggered back. I stepped forward.

He stood silently as I walked forward. When I reached him, I took his ring from my finger and threw it at him. It bounced off his chest, and landed somewhere on the ground.

"I could kill you, you know. I don't quite still need you." He said.

Then why don't you? I'm already dead, I signed, raising my arms wide. He didn't answer. Come on. There must be a reason you haven't killed me already if you don't need me alive.

"Because I don't wish to." He said simply.

And why not? I asked. Just kill me already! He shot a bolt of darkness at me. I staggered back a step. He shot another, of light, and I staggered back another step. Soon I was back in my original position, twenty feet away. Gaining confidence in his abilities, he summoned a much larger bolt, one to finish me off. It did nothing as it hit me, just as the others hadn't done anything to me. The staggering back was all an act. My resistance to the weather included the level of light.

"How?" He asked. There was a hard edge in his voice.

You have forgotten who I am. I am the daughter of the primordial of the upper air. These things do not affect air, do not affect me. I told him. He tried again, but it did not work.

I shot a blast of light and dark at him, and he blocked it with a shield of darkness. Another blast broke right through that shield. Another hit him in the chest.

"Even if you manage to defeat me now, I will one day rise again. There is no escaping it. For I am eternal, and cannot be completely gotten rid of. I will be back, if you manage to defeat me now." He said.

I stepped closer. I just have one last thing to say to you.

"And what might that be?" He sneered.

I'm divorcing you. I told him, and stream of pure light and pure darkness hit him in the chest, and engulfed him in a ghostly flame. When it disappeared, he was no longer there. The monsters who had been standing near were also gone, and the rest who weren't fighting started to attack the campers.

And then somebody stabbed me in the stomach.

I fell to one knee just as the monster exploded into golden dust. Cypress was quick to kneel beside me, and Rain and Adam fought any monsters who tried to get near.

"Where's the bottle?" Cypress asked quickly.

I coughed. It's in... In my bra. I signed, hands failing to move when and exactly how I wanted them to for a moment. He didn't say anything, just took it out and unscrewed the cap. He put it to my lips and helped me drink. The liquid inside did not help.

"Is it working?" Cypress asked.

No... It's not. We need... To go to the... River. I said. The River Styx would stop any further external injury, and I could then take ambrosia. He scooped me up bridal style and stood.

"Nico. Where's Nico?" He muttered. Spotting him, he started to run. I held my hands over my stomach where the knife had gone through. Rain and Adam followed, batting away monsters.

We reached Nico and he took one look at us and grabbed onto each of us, holding sleeves and loose fabric. "I can only get you to the doorway. I can't get you all the way down." He said. Then he shadow travelled.

When we got to the doors, a pile of rocks, the door of Orpheus. Nico shadow travelled back to camp to continue fighting.

"How do we open these doors?" Cypress asked me. He blew hair away from my eyes, unable to do it with his hands.

"I'll get it." Rain said, stepping forward. As she began to sing, my breath came in shorter gasps. I could feel myself dying from the wound.

"When we first came here

We were cold and we were clear

With no colors in our skin

We were light and paper thin

And when we first came here

We were cold and we were clear

With no colors in our skin

'Til we let the spectrum in

Say my name

And every color illuminates

We are shining

And we will never be afraid again

Say my name

As every color illuminates

We are shining

And we will never be afraid again

Say my name

As every color illuminates

We are shining

And we will never be afraid again

And when we come for you

We'll be dressed up all in blue

With the ocean in our arms

Kiss your eyes and kiss your palms

And when it's time to pray

We'll be dressed up all in grey

With metal on our tongues

And silver in our lungs

Say my name

And every color illuminates

We are shining

And we will never be afraid again."

While she sang, some monsters showed up. They were almost too much for Adam but he managed to hold them off as the door slid open. The moment it was open far enough, Cypress carried me through. It closed behind us, leaving us in darkness. A little globe of light appeared above me, and Cypress used the light to get down the long stairway. We came out on a beach, a beach which the River Styx flowed next to.

Cypress... You've got... To put me... Down. I said. My breathing was really heavy, and I didn't have enough strength to lift my head from his shoulder where it had fallen.

"If I put you down, I'm afraid you'll never get back up." He said softly.

You... Have to... Can't go... In with me. I told him.

"Just hold on, okay?" He told me quietly. I didn't have the strength to do anything, and I barely processed what he said as he walked into the River Styx.

The River was full of despair. I could hear voices telling me to give up, that I wasn't going to survive this anyway, to let myself drown in the River. I didn't listen to those voices, and neither did Cypress, because he didn't let go of me, even as more and more of my strength faded away and my head fell from his shoulder.

When my head did fall from his shoulder, Cypress shifted his arms so he was supporting me better. He pressed his lips against my collarbone, and told me to hold my breath. Then we went fully under.

As we went under, I did my best to hold on, so he didn't have to support me so much, but the best I did was grab his jacket weakly with one hand.

Thinking back to my book, I remembered that I needed to imagine myself being held to the world by something, from some spot. I imagined a strand of light holding me to the beach, connected to my collarbone, on the left side, near to my heart. The spot where Cypress had pressed his lips moments before. The River tried again to get me to give up, but I didn't give in.

Soon, Cypress moved back toward the beach, to where we weren't under anymore. My breathing was coming in short gasps as he set me down on the beach. The pain was nothing, I'd been cut and raped and beat my whole life, I'd never minded pain much. But I was bleeding, alot, and the white dress almost looked as though it were supposed to be red.

"Nikita." Cypress said. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how I'm supposed to stop this. I don't know how to heal you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I just don't know what to do." I reached out a hand toward him, and he took it, not caring that my hands were covered in my blood from holding them over the wound.

I'm... Sorry. I said. All of... This... Just to... Die on... A beach... In the... Underworld... because I forgot... ambrosia.

"No, Niki. We'll figure it out. I won't let you die. I can't let you die." Cypress said. A tear fell down his cheek.

I gave him a weak smile. I could barely breathe.

"Please, please don't die." Cypress whispered. "Nikita Caliya Beckett, you are my closest friend ever, and I don't know what I'd do without you. Please don't die." He pressed his lips to my forehead.

"Let me see my daughter." A voice said from nearby. It was my father, but I couldn't turn my head to look. I heard him kneel down next to me, across from Cypress.

"Is there anything you can do?" Cypress asked him.

"I do not know if this will work." My father replied. I felt a hand go to my stomach. I cried out in pain, but there was barely any sound. Cypress gripped the hand I had held out to him tighter.

A cool feeling washed through me. It was soothing, and I closed my eyes. I don't know how long later, minutes or hours or days, the feeling faded.

"It worked." My father said quietly.

"She's going to be alright?" Cypress asked.

"Yes. I will visit later to speak to her. For now, I can not stay. I was barely allowed this request to heal my only mortal daughter." My father said. Then he was gone.

"You'll be alright, Niki. The wound's closed, I can see. You might need some rest in the infirmary, but you'll be alright." Cypress said. I opened my eyes to look at him.

Thank you, I signed, moving my hands weakly. For everything. For getting me here, for going in with me, for everything you've ever done for me.

"You're my friend, Niki. I would do anything for you." Cypress said.

I tried to sit up, but couldn't quite do it on my own. Cypress helped me into a sitting position. Then I leaned over and pressed my lips to his cheek.

"Cypress? Nikita?" A voice called. It was Rain. I looked and saw her and Adam standing on the beach.

"Did it work?" Adam called.

I actually have no idea. I signed as they walked toward us.

"You've been healed." Rain noted.

That was my father's doing. I almost died again. I said.

"But the river?" Rain asked.

Let me check. I said. I pulled my dagger from my boot and dragged it lightly across my arm, enough to draw blood. Nothing happened. There was no blood. Well, it worked. I put the dagger back in my boot.

"We should get back up there. There might still be some fighting going on at Camp." Adam said. Cypress stood. I tried to, but still couldn't quite do much for myself. Cypress had to help me stand.

Cypress supported me as we located the staircase and went back up to the surface. We called a cab to take us to camp, and Adam handed the driver a wad of cash from his jacket. When we got to camp, there was indeed fighting still going on. I couldn't quite join in, so Adam and Rain helped us get through the fighting and towards the medics on hand. Will took one look at us and came running over to help.

* * *

Once at the infirmary, I was made to sit in a chair. Now that fighting was slowing, more of the Apollo campers were able to help the wounded, and they were getting them off to their cabins as soon as possible.

"Alright, so it seems your wound is completely gone. You'll just need to rest for a couple of days or so to regain your strength." Will told me after examining my stomach. I thanked him and Cypress helped me back to my cabin. Rain and Adam had gone to rest in their cabins.

Ok, I want to change now. And shower. I'm going to go ahead and say it's all definitely over now. I said when I got to my bedroom. Cypress went out to the living room to wait while I changed.

I pulled the dress off and tossed it in a corner. It was completely ruined at this point, covered in blood in multiple places. I decided I was going to burn it later. With some difficulty, I managed to get my blood covered bra and underwear off. I went into my closet to get clothes, going slowly because it was kind of hard to walk. Then I went into the bathroom and started the shower.

* * *

After I scrubbed every inch of my body clean in the shower, I went back into my room in my towel. I got out a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt, and undergarments.

I stomped my foot in frustration, trying for what must have been the fiftieth time to clasp my bra. I had gotten the underwear and sweatpants on well enough.

"Niki?" Cypress called. "Everything alright?"

I didn't answer. It's not like I could.

"Is it okay if I come in?" Cypress asked. I turned to face the wall opposite the door.

He waited about twenty seconds to give me a moment. Then I heard the door open and Cypress came up to me. I can't get it. My arms are so damn weak right now. I can barely lift them. I signed, holding my arms up in front of me, high enough he could see me signing, which took some effort. He silently took the edges of my bra and clasped it for me. I turned to the bed and grabbed the t-shirt, pulling it on.

Thanks. I said.

"No problem." Cypress replied. I picked up my book. "Are you alright? After all these crazy things that happened recently?" I walked into the living room with Cypress, and sat on his lap when he sat on one of the chairs. I leaned back into him and he put his chin on my shoulder, and his arms around my waist.

Yeah. I'm fine. Even if I was kidnapped, forced to be married, died, and stabbed in the gut. I said. What about you?

"Well, I'm just glad that everything turned out alright." Cypress said. I opened my book and started reading a random page.

* * *

Sometime later, Cypress spoke again. "Hey, Niki."

Yeah? I asked. My eyelids were starting to droop closed. I needed to rest.

"I think you need some sleep." Cypress informed me.

I don't want to get up, I signed. Let's just stay right here.

"Just don't tell your husband." Cypress joked. I smiled.

He won't be that for much longer. After I'm all healed, we'll go to the gods. Have them break the bond, so he can't access my power anymore. I don't want a repeat on my next birthday. I said.

"That sounds like a good plan." Cypress murmured.

Yes. Plan. Plan means in the future. For now, nap time. I said. I closed my book and dropped it to the ground. Cypress reclined the chair all the way, and I cuddled into him. I closed my eyes, knowing that this was all past now, that all these events with Tartarus were behind us.

* * *

 **Plans mean future. Don't worry about tomorrow, worry about today.**

 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**

* * *

 **I'm back from my trip! Had tons of fun, but now I'm all bruised up cos I'm a klutz and cos I actually went and did things. I recommend going to the buffet by the Maine Mall in Portland if you ever get the chance. I don't think it's connected, but it is literally _right next to_ the mall. I like the place well enough.**


	13. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: I do not own any works credited to Rick Riordan. I am not even a male. I, sadly, own nothing. Except my ideas for this fic, I suppose._

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Time Skip: One Month Later

* * *

After that whole war against Tartarus, the four of us who had had to go down there were banned from doing practically anything. They wanted to make sure we were alright, having gone down there, and also me having died. So we all pretty much just hung around in my cabin or on the beach. I, for one, was glad for the change of pace. I got to camp only a few days before the war, so I was now finally able to just relax.

I was sitting in Cypress's lap on a chair, Rain and Adam on the couch, when the urgent knock on the door came. Rain got up and answered the door, and Leah came in. She looked pretty out of breath.

Once her breathing was more normal, she spoke. "You four have been summoned to go to Olympus. You need to be there as soon as possible. It's not wise to ignore the summons of any god, especially not all of them."

The gods have summoned us? I asked. Do you know why?

"I don't know why, they didn't say. All I know is I was nearby when Dionysus told me to go get you guys then flashed away to Olympus." Leah explained.

"At least we were planning on trying to see about going up there sometime soon, anyway." Cypress said.

Well, let's get ready, then. I said.

We were all already dressed, so we just grabbed our weapons and followed Leah out the door of my cabin. She brought us to Half Blood Hill, where she pointed out a van waiting for us. It had Delphi Strawberry Service painted on the side.

The ride to the Empire State Building was silent. We were all kind of worried. And Cypress was the only one of us who'd been up there before, after the Titan War and after the Giant War.

* * *

When we got to the Empire State Building, Cypress asked the man in the lobby for the Six hundredth floor, and he directed us over to an elevator. When we got to the top, the elevator going much faster than an elevator should probably be going, I gasped. The place was beautiful, and giant.

When we got to the throne room, all of the Olympian gods were on their thrones, and Hestia sat on the floor, tending the fire. Rain, Adam, and I followed Cypress's example and kneeled.

"Rise, demigods." Zeus commanded. The four of us stood, and I looked up at him in a mixture of awe and fear.

Why have you summoned us? I asked. Zeus looked at me blankly for a moment, before Athena let out a sigh.

"All these millennia and you'd think you might pick up on some more languages, but no, you don't. She's using American Sign Language." Athena told her father. "She's asked why we've summoned them."

Zeus looked a little uncomfortable about his daughter's statement, but spoke anyways. "We'd like to speak about the recent prophecy."

"What about it?" Cypress asked.

"You four were the children of the prophecy. You've done the gods a great service." Zeus said.

None of us said anything, because we didn't know what to say.

"What he's trying to tell you is that you each may choose a reward." Athena explained. "You deserve it." Zeus nodded.

"Rain." Aphrodite called. "What is it you would like, my daughter?"

"Um." Rain stammered. "I have no idea." Aphrodite laughed.

"You four may take some time to decide. Just head out that door to the gardens." Aphrodite said, gesturing to a door on the wall.

Can I have the bond with Tartarus broken? I asked. Athena, the only God who seemed to know ASL, spoke.

"That is something we had planned to do already. I'd like to speak with you and see what we can do about it later." Athena told me. I nodded gratefully, and Zeus looked at his daughter, confused. "The bond." She told him. He looked like he still didn't understand, but nodded anyways.

The four of us moved quietly to the door and went out into the gardens. The gardens were beautiful, and we stood on a small terrace that looked out, with a staircase down beside us. I took a seat against the concrete railing of the terrace, and Cypress day beside me, while Rain and Adam sat across from us.

What should we ask for? I asked them.

I have no idea. Rain replied.

Is there anything we even want? Adam asked.

Nothing that I can think of at the moment. I said.

We can just ask to keep our requests as favors, so that we can ask for anything we might think of at a later date. Adam suggested.

That's a perfect idea. Because the gods would probably do anything to keep from having to owe mortals. Rain said.

I'll tell them that we all want the same thing when we get in there. Cypress said.

Alright, let's get in there. Adam said. Cypress stood, and then gave me hand getting up. Rain pulled Adam up with her.

We went back through the door we came, and the gods all looked to us. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

"Have you four chosen what you wish your rewards to be?" Zeus thundered. We all nodded our heads. "Go on, then."

Cypress stepped forward. "I wish that Nikita was no longer mute." He said, and my eyes widened. What? I hadn't even thought of that as a possibility. Why hadn't he suggested that to me, so that I could've wished it? Why would he use his wish on me when he could've kept it?

"And you are sure that his is what you wish?" Zeus asked. Cypress nodded, and I just stared at him in shock.

"Athena, give the child her voice when you break the bond." Zeus commanded, and the goddess nodded. "Now, what do the rest of you wish?"

Rain stepped forward this time. "If we may, we'd like to hold onto our wishes until a later date, kind of like being owed a favor. There really is nothing we can think to wish for at the moment." She said.

"As long as it is in reason, you may. Dismissed." Zeus told us. We each bowed once more before exiting through the main doors.

When we were halfway down the path that would take us to the elevator of the Empire State Building, four gods approached us. Athena, who was to be consulting with me for obvious reasons; as well as Aphrodite, Hermes, and Hypnos. Each of the gods took their child to talk with them, while Athena showed me to a secluded and empty garden. We sat on a park bench under a weeping willow tree.

"I'll start with giving you your voice, then we'll see about breaking that bond, alright?" Athena asked. I just nodded, and stared off into the garden at the flowers and trees and grass and sky while she focused.

A few minutes later, Athena spoke. "I cannot seem to restore your voice. It seems the bond is blocking it and anything else I try to do. I'll have to remove that first." She said, mostly just muttering to herself. I only remained sitting there.

Suddenly, memories flashed through my mind. My tenth birthday, the day I lost my virginity to a man I had seen many times with my mother, ever since I was little. The same man, come over to our house to see me at least once every two weeks, usually more. The first time the man showed me that he had learned a little ASL, spelling out insults as he did what he wanted to me. Cypress and I bumping into the man on the street, and all of our other meetings with him. Meeting Tartarus the first time, then seeing him in the cave and at the wedding. Then watching Tartarus rise and fighting him. And the moment he was defeated.

When the memories stopped, I was gasping, silent tears running down my face. I was able to calm down after a moment, and she spoke. "Realize anything?" Her voice was hard, and she sounded completely different than earlier.

I turned to look at her, only to see Tartarus sitting in her place. Then I screamed.

Moments later, Cypress was beside me as I scrambled backwards off the bench and fell to the grass. He must've been on his way back to finding the group already. Tartarus only smirked at me and stood, walking slowly to me. I tried to back up farther, but my back hit the willow. Cypress knelt down and held my arms still, Tartarus standing just behind him. I just kept trying to back into the tree.

Cypress slapped me. Across the face. I looked at him, shocked. Then I slapped him right back.

"What the hell, Niki?" He asked. I just glared at him, half-heartedly, and he sighed. "You were freaking out, and I didn't know how to snap you out of it." Remembering the cause for my freak out, I glanced back behind him, only to see Athena standing there. Not Tartarus.

"Relax, girl. It was only a hallucination, most likely triggered by the rush of memories that the removal of the bond created. With that gone, you should now be able to speak, and you won't have Tartarus to worry about any longer. I added an enchantment to allow you to speak normally right away, as opposed to having to learn to speak now." Athena informed me.

"How's the bond blocking her voice if it's new?" Cypress asked curiously.

"It is not new, only strengthened over a hundredfold recently. The bond was created when she was only a child. I trust the memories showed you?" Athena asked. I nodded. "Good. Now, I've done my job, given your voice back now it's no longer blocked from being returned. You demigods should be returning to your Camp soon." With that, she turned and strolled out of the garden.

Cypress stood, then took my arm and pulled me up along with him. I suddenly felt dizzy, and fell into his side. He only placed an arm around me and helped me out of the garden and towards where Rain and Adam waited by the elevator that would bring us back to New York.

When we approached Rain and Adam, they both have us weird looks. "What is it?" Cypress asked.

"What happened to your faces?" Adam asked.

"Oh. That. Niki was freaking out, and I didn't know how to snap her out of it, at which point I slapped her." Cypress explained. "Which she of course took as invitation to slap me." I looked down at the ground, a slight blush on my face. Rain laughed.

"Why were you freaking out?" Adam asked me.

"Hallucination." I whispered. I was surprised to hear my own voice after never having heard it. I decided I quite liked the sound.

"Athena said it was most likely triggered by the rush of memories caused by the removal of the bond, which has apparently been there for years, only just strengthened recently." Cypress explained.

"Alright. Well, let's get back to Camp. We've got a game today, and I'm not missing it, not when I'm finally allowed to play." Rain said as she herded us into the elevator.

* * *

After taking a cab back to Camp, we went to the mess hall for lunch. It had luckily only just started.

I had only just sat down beside Cypress at the Hypnos table; I had a table but it was small, and being the only Aether child, lonely; when Leah came over. "Chiron wants to speak to you guys." She told Cypress and I. Rain and Adam were already on their way across the mess hall. Cypress stood and I followed as he went to Chiron.

"What happened while you were at Olympus?" Chiron asked when we were all there.

"They offered us rewards for our services." Adam answered.

"What did you ask for?" Chiron asked curiously.

"The three of us asked to hold onto our requests, as favors to ask for later on." Rain said, gesturing to herself, me, and Adam.

"And you?" Chiron asked Cypress.

"My voice." I spoke up. Chiron looked at me. "He asked for my voice."

"Did the gods remove the bond?" Chiron asked me. I nodded. "That is a good thing. Well, back to your meals, you should rest for the rest of the day before the game this evening. You're off of the hook for spending your days doing non-strenuous things starting today." We all nodded and went back to our seats.

* * *

I spent the rest of the day with Cypress, sparring a little, then really just relaxing in my cabin. Though, by the time dinner rolled around, Rain had gotten me to agree to join the team her and Adam's cabins were on for Capture the Flag. Which meant we would all be against the team Cypress was on.

I was set to flag guard for the game, seeing as how Zeus cabin was in the opposite team and Jason would most likely be going for the flag. Rain, I knew, would be just outside the clearing, just outside of sight and earshot. Adam was off with his cabin, setting traps and tripping up the other team.

The horn sounded and the game started. Everything was peaceful within the little clearing we had to decided to place the flag in. I didn't hear a single sound from the games or Campers.

"Nikita." I looked up to see my father. "Come." He held out a hand to me, which I took. A bright flash of light and we were in an empty meadow, sitting under a large weeping willow tree. Other trees dotted the meadow, as well as the surrounding area outside the meadow.

"Wait, what about the flag?" I asked. With no guard, the other team would be sure to get the flag.

"Do not worry about that. It's protected for while you are here. The entire clearing is." Aether told me. I nodded.

"So, what did you want me for?" I asked.

"We never did speak after you were healed." He explained. "You may now bear the Curse of Achilles, but you still cannot combat the fact that the power running through your veins is too much. The only way to hold it off as long as possible is to not use your powers. The more you use them, the quicker death will come."

"But what happens if I do use them, like if I'm fighting and there's no other way?" I asked.

"Ambrosia and nectar will heal the effects of using your powers, but will also speed the process. Your best chance is never to use your powers, to slow the progression of the power that runs in your veins." Aether explained. I nodded. "I love you, Nikita. But you've got a game to be getting back to, now. It seems you'll have company." He smiled at me once, then I appeared back at my post by the flag.

I looked around to see a large golden bubble surrounding the clearing. I could see through to the forest, but it didn't look like anyone was getting through. I didn't know how long Dad was going to leave it up, so I turned toward the flag to see none other than Cypress.

"I don't suppose you'll let me grab the flag and get a head start to run for it?" He asked, just as the bubble flickered and disappeared. I drew my weapons. "Guess not." He grabbed the flag and took off running, me close behind.

Luckily for my team, he ran straight toward where Rain waited. As he neared, she stepped out of the trees. "Stop running and drop the flags." She commanded, smiling sweetly at him. He stopped abruptly and the flag fell from his fingers. I slowed to a stop and sheathes my swords. I picked up the flag from the ground and stuffed it in my waistband. Rain tossed me some rope and we tied Cypress's arms so he couldn't get at his weapons. "Now, go sit out of the way, somewhere over by the flag." Rain commanded.

Cypress followed as I returned the flag to its spot, and he sat right beside it, muttering curses. I just smiled at him, and he glared.

The next person to enter the clearing was Adam, running away from someone on the other team who was chasing him. When Adam reached the flag, I drew my swords and fought the kid chasing him. I managed to knock the kid out with a slap from the flat of my blade. Adam dragged the kid out of the way over by the trees, glanced at Cypress, laughed, saluted to me, then ran off again. Cypress only glared at him when he laughed.

"Why are you so mad at everything, Cypress?" I asked sweetly.

"Because I'm tied up and stuck sitting here." Cypress said, irritated.

"Well, how else are we to keep you from making off with our flag?" I asked. I held up a sword. "I could knock you out." I suggested, and he just glared as I sheathed it.

The horn sounded a little while later. Most Campers were stopped before they reached the clearing, but I had to fight a few. They weren't much trouble though, not with Rain helping, making them fall asleep or turn and run the other way.

Once the horn did sound, though, I untied Cypress. He went to stand, and I gave him a hand up. Instead of pulling him up, though, I just fell down on top of him. "Seriously?" I asked. He just grinned. I sighed and moved off of him, standing. I didn't help him up this time, instead leaving him to pull himself up.

"Who won?" I called out to Rain. She walked into the clearing.

"Our team. Adam got the flag." She answered, beaming. Cypress grumbled behind me, but he was just being a sore loser.

* * *

When I got back to my cabin, I took a shower and changed into some comfortable pajamas before climbing into bed and going to sleep, head full of everything that had happened since I had gotten to Camp. With a last thought to what my father had told me earlier that afternoon, I resolved just to not use my powers, and live out my life as it would happen in Camp.

* * *

 **The End.**

 **And, how's that? Was it good? Did you enjoy reading? I really do hope so.**

 **Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!**

* * *

 **Part I of my _More Than What You May Think Series_ is done! I'll be posting the first two chapters of Part II, (instead of just the first, cos I feel bad for being gone and not posting for however many days it's been on my trip), tonight. Look out for _More Than A Mortal_.**


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